Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has sharply criticised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for scheduling the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in a way that he says is putting the lives of young students at risk.
The 2025 UTME, which began on Thursday, April 24, 2025, and will run until Monday, May 5, 2025, has raised significant concerns due to the early start times, with students, many of them between the ages of 15 and 17, being required to report to examination centres as early as 6:30 am.
Obi, in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, expressed his deep concern over the early timing, describing the scheduling as “reckless.” He noted that many students are forced to travel in the dark, often across dangerous and unfamiliar areas, just to access their right to education.
“These are teenagers forced to travel in the dark, often across dangerous and unfamiliar areas, just to exercise their right to education,” Obi said.
The politician further highlighted the potential dangers, questioning the responsibility when tragedy strikes. “Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?” he asked.
Obi’s concerns were not limited to the early hours of travel. He also pointed to the broader issues within Nigeria’s education system. He emphasised the inadequate infrastructure, noting that Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people, has only around 200 universities, which he described as a “staggering and deeply worrying ratio.”
“Nigeria has just about 200 universities for a population of over 200 million people. That’s one university for every one million citizens,” Obi said.
In comparison, Obi cited the example of Indonesia, which has over 4,000 universities despite having a population of 280 million. He pointed out that Indonesia has a gross enrollment ratio of 45 percent, while Nigeria’s stands at around 12 percent. Obi explained that Indonesia’s much higher university enrollment and better distribution of educational institutions across regions make access to education safer and more democratic.
“Indonesia has over 10 million students enrolled in tertiary education and a much more equitable spread of universities across its regions. This makes access to education safer and more democratic,” Obi noted.
Obi called on the Nigerian government to make significant investments in education, pointing out that even reaching half of Indonesia’s infrastructure would dramatically improve access to education while reducing risks for students.
“Education is not a luxury or an expense. It is the biggest contributor to national development. You cannot claim to want development while starving the youth of access to knowledge,” Obi said.
He further urged for a deliberate expansion of Nigeria’s educational system, citing the importance of protecting the well-being of future generations. “Our young generation should not be endangered because they desire education. We must do better,” Obi added.
In response to Obi’s criticism, JAMB attempted to clarify the situation, explaining that the early start times were a result of pre-test verifications, and not the official examination schedule. However, JAMB did not address concerns about the safety and well-being of students who are forced to travel early or even a day in advance.
The situation was made even more concerning by reports of a teenage girl who went missing while commuting to a UTME centre in Ajah, Lagos, raising further alarms about the risks students face in the early morning hours.
