Akwa Ibom Disputes NECO Performance Report, Says 83 Centres Await Results

The Akwa Ibom State Government has rejected reports alleging poor performance by students from its public schools in the 2026 National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, saying results from 83 of the 214 examination centres are still being processed.

The Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, described the reports as misleading, saying they were based on a performance chart that was not an official NECO document.

Umanah, in a statement, said although the 2026 NECO results were released on September 24, 2026, the performance chart published by some media organisations did not represent the official data released by the examination body.

He said the chart ranked Abia, Ebonyi and Ekiti states first, second and third respectively, whereas official NECO data identified Kano, Lagos and Oyo states in those positions.

The commissioner said the results of 83 out of the 214 examination centres in Akwa Ibom public schools had not been released because NECO was still completing the sorting and verification of the statutory accreditation status of the affected centres.

He therefore described any attempt to rank or assess the overall performance of Akwa Ibom students at this stage as premature, saying the outstanding results could affect the final state-level assessment.

The clarification followed concerns raised by parents, civil society organisations and some media organisations over the reported performance of public-school candidates, particularly against the backdrop of the state government’s investment in education infrastructure and manpower since 2023.

Umanah urged media organisations to exercise greater diligence when reporting examination statistics, particularly where official results were still being processed.

He said education remained a major priority of the administration under the ARISE Agenda.

According to him, the 2026 approved budget provides more than N35 billion for education, while N5.9 billion had been released to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for basic education intervention projects covering 2025 and 2026.

He added that the state government had continued to construct model primary schools and provide other interventions aimed at improving learning conditions.

Umanah also said the government had paid bursaries to students and covered examination fees for candidates sitting for the Placement Examination, Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) examinations and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

He further cited overseas tuition support approved by Governor Umo Eno for a young graduate pursuing a master’s degree, as well as an earlier scholarship for a law graduate from the Government Children’s Home to undertake postgraduate studies abroad.

The commissioner urged members of the public to disregard the Premium Times report and similar claims based on the disputed performance chart, advising them to rely on verified information from NECO for updates on the 2026 results.