Former presidential candidate Peter Obi expressed shock at the results of the recently released Joint Admissions and Admissions Committee (JAMB), calling them a clear indicator of the decline in the Nigerian education system.
Obi shared his reaction after reviewing the official data, noting that of the 1,955,069 candidates taking the exam, only about 420,000 scored more than 200, while more than 1.5 million candidates were below the 200 mark.
“This means that more than 78% of candidates fail to meet the 200-point threshold, reflecting the deep-rooted challenges in our education system,” he said.
He blamed the situation on years of neglect and underinvestment in the education sector. “The latest JAMB results re-emphasize the consequences of underinvestment of education for decades, which is at the heart of our national development strategy,” he said.
Obi compared the education indicators in Nigeria with those in other countries, “Currently, the total number of university enrollment in Nigeria is about 2 million students. By comparison, the Bangladesh National University (a university, with more than 3.4 million students, although the country has only about 75% of the population of Nigeria.
He went on to point out that Bangladesh once lagged behind Nigeria and now performed well in key development indicators. “Bangladesh once lagged behind Nigeria in almost every measurable development index and now surpassed us in all key development areas and in human development indexes.”
He also pointed out that Turkey is another example, saying: “Turkey’s population is about 87.7 million, with more than 7 million college students, more than three times the total number of university enrollment in Nigeria.”
Obi reiterates his long-term view on the role of education in national construction. “I have always said that education is not only a social service, but also a strategic investment. It is the most critical driver of national development and the most powerful tool to lift people out of poverty.”
He called on Nigerian leaders to give urgent priority to education. “If we seriously build a prosperous, safe and equitable Nigeria, we must make active investments in education at all levels.”
