Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed deep concern over the recently released 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, describing them as a sign of Nigeria’s ongoing education crisis.
According to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the exam, only 432,829—just over 22%—scored above 200 marks. More than 1.5 million students fell below the threshold.
“Over 78% of the total candidates failed to meet the 200-mark threshold,” Obi stated, adding that the results reveal deeper structural problems in Nigeria’s education sector.
Underinvestment in Education Hurting National Development
Obi attributed the poor performance to years of inadequate funding in education.
“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 said.
Drawing comparisons, he observed that Nigeria’s total university enrollment sits at around 2 million students. In contrast, Bangladesh’s National University alone has over 3.4 million students, despite Bangladesh having only 75% of Nigeria’s population.
“One university in Bangladesh surpasses the entire university enrollment in Nigeria,” Obi remarked.
He also pointed out that Turkey, with a population of about 87.7 million, has over 7 million university students—more than three times Nigeria’s total enrollment.
Education as a Pillar of Economic Transformation
Obi stressed that education is not just a social service but a vital tool for economic growth and poverty reduction.
“Education is the most critical driver of national development and the most powerful tool for lifting people out of poverty,” he said.
He called for urgent investment in Nigeria’s education system at all levels, arguing that it is essential for building a prosperous and secure nation.
“We must now invest aggressively in education — at all levels — if we are serious about building a prosperous, secure, and equitable Nigeria,” he said.
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