A total of 15,281 candidates took the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination for admission to Federal and State Technical Colleges across Nigeria on Saturday.
This figure, however, indicated a sharp drop in the number of admission seekers to technical colleges, with 29,260 students enrolling for the examination in 2025.
President Bola Tinubu, in his quest to boost Technical and Vocational Education and Training, rolled out incentives for TVET students.
The incentives included free tuition, a monthly stipend of N22,500, and a start-up package after graduation.
Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examination Board, Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, attributed the reduction in registration to subject consolidation and consideration of colleges’ carrying capacity.
Mohammed said Zamfara State recorded the lowest enrolment, with 14 candidates, while Enugu State had 1,506 candidates.
Speaking after monitoring the conduct of the examination in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, Edo State, Mohammed said the results would be released after 21 days.
Mohammed said the examination was conducted in 203 centres across the country and marked the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening TVET as a strategic pathway for national development, youth empowerment, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, and economic self-reliance.
He said a comprehensive arrangement was put in place to ensure a seamless, transparent, credible, and hitch-free conduct of the examination.
He said, “A total of 15,281 candidates registered for the National Common Entrance Examination, which is taking place in 203 centres nationwide. Of this total enrolment, 10,626 candidates are male, while 4,655 are female. Enugu State tops the list with the highest enrolment of 1,506 candidates, while Zamfara has the lowest enrolment of 14 candidates.
“Preliminary reports received from our monitoring officers and stakeholders indicate that the examination commenced smoothly in most centres, with candidates conducting themselves in an orderly manner and examination officials discharging their responsibilities professionally.
“We commend the candidates, parents, school administrators, invigilators, supervisors, and security personnel for their cooperation and commitment towards the success of the exercise.”
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