Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has launched a scathing critique of Nigeria’s educational system following the alarming mass failure recorded in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), calling it a “national red alert.”
With over 1.9 million candidates sitting for the UTME and only 420,000 scoring above 200, Obi decried the outcome as a damning verdict on years of government neglect. “Over 78% of our young people scored below average — this is a tragic reflection of systemic failure,” Obi said in a post via his official X handle.
He blamed chronic underinvestment and poor policy implementation for the rot in the sector. “We have treated education like a charity project instead of a strategic investment,” he noted.
Citing comparative global figures, Obi highlighted that Nigeria’s entire university population is just around two million, while Bangladesh’s National University alone boasts over 3.4 million students. Turkey, with a smaller population, has over 7 million.
Obi stressed that reviving the nation starts with revitalizing education. “Without educated minds, we cannot fight poverty, we cannot grow our economy, and we certainly cannot secure our nation,” he stated.
He urged urgent, deliberate action from all tiers of government, warning that the future is at risk. “We cannot afford to fail a generation. We must act — and we must act now.”
His message concluded on a hopeful but firm note: “A New Nigeria is POssible — but not without educated Nigerians to build it.”