UTME Timing Endangering Youths, Says Peter Obi

The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has criticised the scheduling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), warning that early start times are endangering the lives of young students. In a statement on Sunday, the former presidential candidate expressed concern that teenagers, many aged between 15 and 17, were being asked to arrive at examination centres as early as 6:30am, forcing them to travel in the dark across unsafe areas.

Obi described the situation as “reckless”, citing reports of road accidents, missing students, and psychological trauma during the examination period. He argued that the practice highlights deeper systemic failures, including Nigeria’s inadequate education infrastructure, noting that the country has only about 200 universities for a population of over 200 million.

Also Read: Presidential Election: Peter Obi, Others File Petitions To Nullify Tinubu’s Victory

Comparing Nigeria’s education statistics with Indonesia’s, Obi pointed out that the Southeast Asian nation, with a similar population size, has over 4,000 tertiary institutions and a gross enrolment ratio of 45 percent, compared to Nigeria’s 12 percent. He called for urgent investment in education, suggesting that even reaching half of Indonesia’s university count would significantly improve access and safety for Nigerian students.

In response, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said students are required to arrive early for pre-test verification but did not address concerns about risks posed by the early schedules.