Peter Obi Laments Shortage of Universities, Raises Alarm Over JAMB-Related Challenges

The lack of universities in Nigeria and the risks prospective students face when trying to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams have been brought up by Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

In a post on his verified X handle on Sunday, Obi voiced his concern with allegations that kids, many of whom are only 15 to 17 years old, were being scheduled to take tests as early as 6:30 a.m.

He bemoaned the fact that many students must travel in the dark, over dangerous and unfamiliar terrain, just to appear for the JAMB exams and exercise their fundamental right to an education.

“It is reckless to set exams for vulnerable teenagers as early as 6:00 a.m. and transport them across far-flung locations,” stated the former governor of Anambra State. Reports of students being involved in accidents, losing their young lives, going missing, and causing needless trauma to several others are already starting to surface.

“When a child who is 15 or 16 years old goes missing or is hurt while attempting to exercise their right to an education, who bears responsibility?”

He pointed out that the scenario draws attention to a more serious structural flaw in Nigeria: the obvious lack of colleges and testing facilities.

“With a population of over 200 million, Nigeria only has about 200 universities today,” Obi explained. This is an alarming ratio that illustrates the terrible condition of educational access in the nation: one university for every one million people.

Obi noted that nations hoping for robust development and widespread access to higher education strive for a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of at least 40 percent, citing data from IndexMundi and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. But Nigeria only has a GER of 12 percent.

He contrasted Nigeria’s circumstances with those of Indonesia, pointing out that the Southeast Asian country, which has a population of roughly 280 million, has more than 4,000 higher education institutions, or roughly one university for every 70,000 people, and a GER of more than 45 percent. Over 10 million students of all ages are enrolled in higher education in Indonesia.

“The high university-to-population ratio in Indonesia demonstrates the country’s significant investment in education, which underpins its sizable student body,” Obi stated. The urgent need for major investment in education, which would in turn fuel national growth and development, is demonstrated by Nigeria’s GER, which is far lower than the global average.

Obi underlined that Indonesia has universities dispersed throughout all regions, making access to education and exams simpler and safer than in Nigeria.

He contended that Nigerian youngsters would not be compelled to travel to dangerous places merely to take a test, only to encounter difficulties getting in after passing, if we had even half of Indonesia’s educational infrastructure, which consists of almost 2,000 universities.

Obi emphasized that the most important investment for the advancement of any country is education, not a luxury or a cost.

“You cannot say that you want development while denying the next generation access to education.” While putting youngsters’ lives in danger each exam season, you cannot profess to value your citizens,” he remarked.

He demanded that Nigeria’s educational system be aggressively and purposefully expanded to accommodate the nation’s expanding population.

“Just because our youth want an education, they shouldn’t be put at risk. Obi said, “As a country, we must improve and make sure that our future leaders inherit the new Nigeria they deserve.”