Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has received the National Examinations Council (NECO) Award of Excellence following Edo State’s emergence as the state with the third highest percentage of candidates who obtained five credits and above in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal examinations since the council’s inception.
NECO, Nigeria’s national examination body established in April 1999 and currently headed by its Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, is responsible for conducting the annual SSCE.
Announcing the award, the council said the recognition is reserved for state governments and institutions that have demonstrated consistent excellence in students’ academic performance and participation in its examinations.
According to NECO, the award category highlights measurable, data-driven achievements, including high pass rates, expanded access to examinations, and sustained investment in the education sector.
The council noted that the recognition underscores the important role sub-national governments play in improving educational standards and learning outcomes across the country.
“It also reflects the critical role of sub-national governments and institutions in driving educational outcomes and improving standards. By rewarding excellence at the state level, the award encourages healthy competition and stronger commitment to quality education,” the council stated.
NECO added that the award aligns with its broader mission of promoting quality education and ensuring that assessment outcomes contribute meaningfully to national development.
The examination body further described the honour as both a recognition of achievement and a challenge to other states and institutions to improve standards within Nigeria’s education system.
The award marks the second major recognition received by the Okpebholo administration in the education sector in less than two years in office.
In February, Governor Okpebholo won the New Telegraph Newspapers Governor of the Year Award in Education for what organisers described as landmark reforms recorded within his first year in office.
Among the reforms cited were the construction of more than 100 schools across the state, the recruitment of 6,000 teachers, and the increase in monthly funding for state-owned universities from ₦41 million to ₦500 million.
Education stakeholders in Edo State have described the latest NECO recognition as evidence of the growing investment in the sector and its positive impact on learning outcomes in public schools.