The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) has commenced the 2026 selection and placement of qualified candidates into federal and state technical colleges nationwide.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of NABTEB, Dr Mohammed Aminu, announced this on Monday in Abuja, where the Federal Government charged the board to conduct the exercise with the highest level of transparency, fairness, and professionalism to ensure that only qualified candidates are admitted.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, gave the directive at the commencement of the three-day selection and placement exercise for candidates who sat the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) into Federal Technical Colleges.

He was represented by the Director of Technology and Science Education, Mrs. Patricia Ogungbemi.

Describing the exercise as a critical component of the Federal Government’s drive to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the minister said participants must ensure that the admission process remains credible and merit-driven.

“This selection exercise is a critical component of the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding access to quality technical education and equipping our young people with relevant skills for employment, entrepreneurship and national development. I therefore urge all participants to conduct this exercise with the highest level of transparency, fairness and professionalism to ensure that only qualified candidates are admitted,” he said.

Alausa also disclosed that the ministry had directed a nationwide validation of student enrolment figures and an assessment of workshop facilities in all Federal Technical Colleges to generate accurate data for the distribution of workshop stools as an immediate intervention, pending the rehabilitation of workshops and provision of modern equipment.

He further announced that the Federal Government had reviewed tuition and sundry fees in Federal Technical Colleges to eliminate financial barriers that could prevent students from accessing technical education.

Earlier, the NABTEB Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Mohammed Aminu, said the selection and placement exercise marked a crucial stage in the admission process, ensuring that successful candidates are admitted into technical colleges based on approved Federal Government guidelines.

According to him, admissions would be based on merit, candidates’ trade preferences, available vacancies, equity and the Federal Character Principle.

“We are here to commence the selection and placement of candidates into their preferred technical colleges. Admission this time will be based on merit and all guidelines approved by the ministry, including the Federal Character Principle,” Aminu told journalists.

He explained that candidates would only be admitted into the trades they applied for, stressing that the board would not assign students to programmes outside their preferred choices.

“There is no need to give somebody another trade different from what he applied for. We are strictly going to admit candidates based on their chosen trades, and successful candidates should be able to check their admission status online by Wednesday,” he said.

Aminu noted that the number of candidates to be admitted would depend on the carrying capacity of each technical college.

“The principals are here to provide their carrying capacities because no school should admit beyond its approved capacity,” he added.

The registrar recalled that 15,290 candidates registered for the 2026 National Common Entrance Examination, while 13,848 eventually sat for the examination nationwide.

He said 10,426 candidates, representing 75.29 per cent, scored 50 per cent and above, while 5,708 candidates, representing 41.22 per cent, obtained scores of at least 70 per cent.

Aminu described the exercise as the bridge between examination and admission, saying its success depended on transparency, objectivity and fairness.

“The success of the National Common Entrance Examination can only be fully realised when it is followed by a transparent, credible and objective selection and placement process,” he said.

He also highlighted the board’s digital transformation, revealing that the 2026 entrance examination marked the first time NABTEB successfully conducted the Computer-Based Examination (CBE) for the National Common Entrance Examination.

According to him, computer-based examination results were released within 72 hours, while paper-based results were processed within 21 days using the newly developed NABTEB Aptitude Placement Test (NAPAT).

Aminu described technical colleges as centres of excellence for innovation, entrepreneurship and practical skills rather than institutions of second choice.

He called on governments, parents, school administrators, communities and development partners to intensify advocacy for technical education to encourage more young Nigerians to embrace vocational and technical skills.

The selection and placement exercise, which runs from July 20 to 22, will determine admissions into Federal Technical Colleges across the country for the 2026 academic session. (Nigerian Tribune)