Ebonyi State has ranked second nationally in the 2026 National Examinations Council (NECO) results, with 81.03 per cent of candidates recording at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics.
Out of the 14,133 Ebonyi candidates who sat for the examination, 11,453 met the benchmark, placing the state among the top-performing states in the country.
The 2026 performance also represents a continuation of Ebonyi’s strong showing in recent years. In 2024, the state ranked third nationally with 80.55 per cent, while it maintained the third position in 2025 with 80.60 per cent.
The latest result therefore marks an improvement, with Ebonyi moving from third position in 2024 and 2025 to second position in 2026.
The development was described as a reflection of the sustained attention being given to education under the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, which placed education as the first item in its guiding principle, the People’s Charter of Needs.
According to a statement by the Governor’s Special Assistant on New Media, Mr. Leo Ekene Oketa, the administration has focused on improving basic education infrastructure, teacher recruitment, learning materials and school supervision.
The statement said more than 45 model 22-classroom blocks are being constructed across the 13 local government areas of the state, alongside over 50 modern 12-classroom blocks being provided through the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB).
It added that newly constructed schools were also being equipped with water facilities, while science laboratories and other learning infrastructure were being developed.
The administration has also recruited 2,000 teachers and distributed more than 100,000 instructional materials, alongside the introduction of unified textbooks across schools.
According to the statement, school monitoring has equally been strengthened through increased attention to the activities of education officers.
The state government has also undertaken reforms in its examination system, including the digitisation of registration and result-checking processes for major examinations and the State Examination Development Centre.
The reforms have also extended to efforts to strengthen the conduct of the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), Common Entrance and Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
While acknowledging that no single intervention could solely account for examination performance, Oketa said the combination of infrastructure development, teacher recruitment, learning resources, supervision and examination reforms was creating an environment conducive to improved learning outcomes.
He said the latest NECO performance was therefore significant not only because of Ebonyi’s second-place ranking, but also because it continued a three-year trend of strong performance by the state.
“Three consecutive years among Nigeria’s top-performing states is significant, particularly when viewed against the education investments made since His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru assumed office as Governor,” Oketa said.
He added that the 2026 result provided an indication that the administration’s emphasis on education was increasingly being reflected in measurable outcomes.
