May 14, 2026
By Joseph Erunke
When the National Examinations Council, NECO, was established in April 1999, many Nigerians viewed it as an ambitious experiment. Critics questioned whether the country truly needed another examination body alongside the West African Examinations Council ,WAEC, while others doubted whether the new institution could successfully manage the enormous responsibility of conducting credible national examinations.
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Twenty-five years after, those doubts have largely disappeared. From a modest beginning, NECO has evolved into one of Africa’s largest and most influential examination institutions, assessing tens of millions of candidates, expanding beyond Nigeria’s borders, embracing technology-driven reforms, and becoming a major pillar in the country’s educational architecture.
