Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Presidential election, Peter Obi, has raised serious concerns over the quality of Nigeria’s education system, following the release of the latest Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
In a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, Obi described the performance as “a reflection of the deep-rooted challenges in our educational system.”
Obi tied the poor UTME performance to what he termed decades of neglect and underfunding in Nigeria’s education sector.
“The latest JAMB results once again highlight the consequences of decades of underinvestment in education, a sector that should be central to our national development strategy,” he stated.
Backstory
The 2025 UTME results have revealed a worrying trend in student performance nationwide. Out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the exam, only 412,415 candidates (21.5%) scored above 200, the widely accepted minimum score for university admission.
- This means nearly 79% of candidates scored below the benchmark.
- A detailed breakdown of performance showed that only 4,756 candidates scored 320 and above, while 7,658 scored between 300 and 319. Another 73,441 candidates scored between 250 and 299, and 334,560 scored between 200 and 249.
- Meanwhile, 983,187 candidates scored between 160 and 199, and 488,197 scored between 140 and 159.
- Comparison with other countries
- To further stress the urgency of educational reform, Obi compared Nigeria’s university enrollment numbers to those of countries with similar or smaller populations.
“Currently, Nigeria’s total university enrollment stands at approximately 2 million students. By comparison, the National University of Bangladesh — a single university — has over 3.4 million students enrolled, despite the country having only about 75% of Nigeria’s population. One university in Bangladesh surpasses the entire university enrollment in Nigeria.
Bangladesh, which once lagged behind Nigeria in virtually every measurable development index, now surpasses us in all key areas of development and in the Human Development Index (HDI).
Similarly, Turkey, with a population of about 87.7 million people, has over 7 million university students — more than three times Nigeria’s total university enrolment,” he said
Tool against poverty
Peter Obi emphasized that education should not merely be seen as a service but as a key lever of economic and social transformation.
“I have consistently said it: education is not just a social service; it is a strategic investment. It is the most critical driver of national development and the most powerful tool for lifting people out of poverty,” he noted
Obi urged both federal and state governments to treat education as an urgent national priority, stressing the need for aggressive investment at all levels to build a prosperous, secure, and equitable Nigeria.
