Fewer Students Show Up for Nigeria’s Technical College Exam This Year, Despite Tinubu’s Cash Incentives.

It was a much quieter morning at exam centres across Nigeria this past Saturday. Only 15,281 candidates showed up to write the National Common Entrance Examination for admission into Federal and State Technical Colleges.

That might sound like a lot, but compared to last year when 29,260 students sat for the same exam it’s a dramatic drop of nearly 50%.

This decline comes at a time when the federal government, under President Bola Tinubu, has been pulling out all the stops to make Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) attractive. Just recently, the President rolled out a juicy package for TVET students: free tuition, a monthly stipend of N22,500, and even a startup package for when they graduate.

So, why the low turnout?

The Registrar of the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, explained that it wasn’t necessarily a lack of interest. He said the drop is partly due to “subject consolidation” and the fact that the technical colleges simply don’t have the capacity to take in more students right now.

He also pointed out a huge gap in demand across the country. While Enugu State showed real enthusiasm with 1,506 candidates registering, Zamfara State recorded a shockingly low number just 14 candidates.

The exam took place across 203 centres nationwide, with boys outnumbering girls: 10,626 males versus 4,655 females.

Mohammed, who monitored the exam in Uromi, Edo State, said things went smoothly overall and that results would be ready in 21 days. He stressed that the government remains committed to TVET as a real path to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and making Nigeria self reliant.