Wednesday, 19 May 2021: Due to what it described as low registration figures, the National Examinations Council (NECO) has postponed its national common entrance examination (NCEE) earlier scheduled to hold on May 29.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday morning by the examination body and signed on its behalf by the head of information and public relations division, Azeez Sani.

Mr Sani gave the new date as June 5, saying the decision was approved by the federal ministry of education.

The registration of candidates would continue until the new examination date

Reason for postponement

According to the spokesman, the figures of applicants recorded so far are lower than expected. NECO, however, hopes that the one-week extension will provide opportunities for more candidates to apply.

“The Examination which was initially scheduled for Saturday 29th May, 2021, was rescheduled to give states with low registration of candidates the opportunity to register their candidates for the examination,” the statement reads in part.

It added that the registration of candidates would continue until the new examination date.

Though the examination body did not give the current figure of applicants, CEOAFRICA gathered from inside sources in NECO that the figure currently stands at about 50,000.

This is low compared to 70,580 candidates that registered for the examination in 2020, though more than 16,713 candidates could not sit the examination due to the nationwide protests against police brutality ravaging the nation at the time.

The examination, which usually holds between May and June, was postponed to October last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.