Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed alarm over the poor performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), where over 78% of candidates scored below 200. Obi attributed the dismal results to systemic neglect and chronic underinvestment in Nigeria’s education sector, warning that such failures reflect a national crisis with far-reaching implications.
Drawing comparisons with countries like Bangladesh and Turkey, Obi highlighted how nations with smaller populations have made significant strides in higher education enrollment and human development. He stressed that education must be treated as a strategic national investment essential for driving development and combating poverty. Obi called for urgent, aggressive funding of the education sector to secure Nigeria’s future and global competitiveness.
