The National Business and Technical Examinations Board has released results of the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination, with 10,426 of the 13,848 candidates who sat the examination scoring 50% and above for admission into Federal and State Technical Colleges nationwide.

The NABTEB Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Mohammed, announced the results on Tuesday at a press briefing in Benin City, confirming the examination was conducted on June 13 across 34 Federal Technical Colleges and 168 State Technical Colleges in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Mohammed disclosed that 15,290 candidates registered for the 2026 examination, a decline of 13,970 candidates compared to 29,260 who registered in 2025, representing a drop of 47.74%. Of those registered, 13,848 candidates sat the examination while 1,442 were absent.

On performance, 5,708 candidates representing 41.22% scored 70% and above, while 3,422 candidates representing 24.71% scored below 50%. At the top end, 31 candidates representing 0.22% attained scores of 96% and above.

Candidates enrolled across 28 trades grouped into five clusters: Mechanical, Electrical, Construction, Creative and Culinary, and Agricultural Technology. Electrical Installation and Maintenance Practice recorded the highest enrolment with 3,870 candidates, followed by Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs with 2,857, Catering Craft Practice with 1,780, Bricklaying Blocklaying and Concreting with 1,553 and Automobile Mechanics with 1,156.

Tiling and Cladding recorded the lowest enrolment with one candidate, while Social Media Content Creation and Management had two, Fish Farming Activities three, Motorcycle and Tricycle Repairs five, Creative Media six, Automobile CNG Conversion nine and Leather Works 18.

Mohammed announced that registration for a supplementary National Common Entrance Examination would commence before the end of July 2026 to accommodate more prospective candidates. He added that NABTEB would collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Education and technical college principals to conduct the 2026 selection and placement exercise following the results release.

"The future of work is increasingly driven by skills, innovation, creativity and technology. Technical Colleges provide young Nigerians with practical competencies that prepare them for self reliance, employment, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning," he stated.