Monday Okpebholo has received the National Examinations Council (NECO) Excellence Award 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, is currently headed by its Registrar and Chief Executive, Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi. The council is responsible for conducting the annual SSCE nationwide.

Announcing the award, the examination body stated that the recognition is reserved for state governments and institutions that have demonstrated consistent excellence in students’ academic performance and participation in NECO examinations.

According to the council, the award category recognises measurable and data-driven achievements, including high pass rates, expanded access to examinations, and sustained investment in the education sector.

“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,” NECO stated.

The council added that the award aligns with its broader mandate of promoting quality education and ensuring that assessment outcomes contribute meaningfully to national development.

NECO 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 received the Governor of the Year Award in Education from New Telegraph Newspapers for what the organisers described as landmark reforms recorded within his first year in office.

Among the reforms cited were the construction of over 100 schools across the state, the recruitment of 6,000 teachers, and the increase in monthly subventions to 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.

Signed:
Dr. Patrick Akhere Ebojele, PhD
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Edo State