Peter Obi Blames Nigeria’s Education Crisis for Mass UTME Failures

The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the poor performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing it as a stark reflection of the country’s deteriorating education sector.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) revealed that out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the UTME, only around 420,000 scored above 200. This means more than 1.5 million candidates over 78% failed to meet the 200-mark benchmark.

Reacting to the outcome in a statement shared on his verified social media platform, Obi said the results are “symptomatic of deep-rooted issues” within Nigeria’s educational system, attributing them to long-term neglect and lack of adequate funding.

“These results highlight the consequences of decades of underinvestment in education, a sector that should be central to our national development strategy,” Obi stated.

He drew comparisons with other developing nations, pointing out that while Nigeria has around two million university students, Bangladesh’s National University alone has over 3.4 million students, despite having only 75% of Nigeria’s population.

“Bangladesh, which once lagged behind Nigeria in virtually every measurable development index, now surpasses us in all key areas, including the Human Development Index (HDI),” Obi noted.

He also referenced Turkey, which has a population of about 87.7 million and over seven million students in its universities more than three times Nigeria’s total enrollment.

Reiterating his call for educational reform, Obi stressed that education should not be treated as a mere social sector, but rather as a foundation for national development.

“Education is the most critical driver of national development and the most powerful tool for lifting people out of poverty. If we are serious about building a prosperous, secure, and equitable Nigeria, we must invest aggressively in education at all levels,” he said.