Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Bayelsa State has been named the best-performing state in Nigeria’s education sector by the National Examinations Council (NECO), following a national assessment of student performance in the Senior School Certificate Examination.
The award, was presented by the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah to Governor Douye Diri during the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Yenagoa.
It formed part of activities marking NECO’s 25th anniversary.
Briefing the council after receiving the award, Commissioner for Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah, said Bayelsa earned the honour on merit for producing the highest percentage of candidates with five credits and above in NECO examinations since the inception of the body.
He added that Ogun State came second while Edo State placed third in the national ranking.
According to him, the recognition was designed to promote accountability and encourage healthy competition among states, while also driving improvements in educational standards across the country.
Reacting to the development, Governor Douye Diri described the recognition as significant but warned that it must not lead to complacency within the education system.
“This is a wake up call to receive this type of award, particularly when you are competing with states that had been there over the years and that are believed to be educationally ahead of you.
“It is a wake up call for you (Education Commissioner) and the ministry that now that Bayelsa has come to the limelight educationally and competitively, we must wake up to the point of no return. I do not want to receive an award like this today and next year we go down. Let it be that we are improving on this.”
Dr. Emelah also noted that the award reflects NECO’s broader mission of strengthening education outcomes nationwide and ensuring that academic performance translates into national development.
The Bayelsa State Government described the recognition as both a validation of its reforms in the education sector and a call to sustain improvement going forward.
