UTME Results Reflect Education System Failure – Obi
By IDNN Political Desk
Abuja, Nigeria – 7 May 2025
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed concern over the state of Nigeria’s education system following the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
In a statement published on his official social media pages, Obi said the poor performance recorded in this year’s exam is symptomatic of deep-rooted issues in the country’s education sector.
Out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the examination, only about 420,000 scored above 200. This leaves more than 1.5 million students below the minimum benchmark for most university admissions.
“The latest JAMB results once again highlight the consequences of decades of underinvestment in education,” Obi said.
He described education as the most strategic tool for development, calling on the government to treat it as a national priority.
Obi compared Nigeria’s education figures with those of other developing countries. He noted that Bangladesh’s National University has over 3.4 million students enrolled, while Nigeria has only around 2 million across all universities.
He also referenced Turkey, where the university student population exceeds seven million, despite a smaller national population than Nigeria’s.
Obi argued that Nigeria’s low enrollment and poor performance indicators are a direct result of policy neglect. He urged federal and state governments to commit more resources to teacher training, infrastructure, and curriculum development.
“Education is not just a social service; it is the most powerful tool for lifting people out of poverty,” he said.
Obi called for an urgent national response, including budgetary realignment and long-term planning. He said the failure to act now could compromise the country’s future workforce and economic competitiveness.
