Education
JAMB endangering teenagers with ‘reckless’ UTME scheduling – Peter Obi
The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections,Peter Obi, has faulted the scheduling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
This was as he said the early start times are endangering the lives of young students.
Ekwutosblog reports that the 2025 UTME started on Thursday, April 24, 2025, and will end on Monday, May 5, 2025.
The former Anambra State governor, in a strongly worded statement on Sunday, expressed concern over reports that teenagers, many aged between 15 and 17, were being required to arrive at UTME centres as early as 6:30 am.
“These are teenagers forced to travel in the dark, often across dangerous and unfamiliar areas, just to exercise their right to education,” he said.
The philanthropist described the practice as reckless, citing reports of students being involved in road accidents, going missing, and suffering psychological trauma during the examination period.
“Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?” He queried.
He also argued that the issue reflects deeper, systemic problems within Nigeria’s education sector, particularly a lack of adequate infrastructure.
“Nigeria has just about 200 universities for a population of over 200 million people. That’s one university for every one million citizens, a staggering and deeply worrying ratio,” he added.
Obi compared Nigeria’s gross enrollment ratio of around 12 per cent with Indonesia’s 45 per cent, pointing out that the Southeast Asian country, with a population of 280 million, has over 4,000 tertiary institutions.
He, therefore, urged the federal government to significantly increase investment in education.
Obi suggested that even reaching half of Indonesia’s infrastructure, around 2,000 universities, would improve access and reduce the risk to students.
He urged a deliberate expansion of Nigeria’s education system to reflect the country’s growing population and protect the well-being of future generations.
Responding, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, attempted to distinguish between pre-test verification and actual UTME start times.
Earlier, a teenage girl was reported to have gone missing during her movement to a UTME centre in Ajah, Lagos.
A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has been found dead in his lodge at Dambam Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Security analyst, Zagazola Makama shared the news in a post on X on Monday.
He said the incident happened on Sunday morning.
The deceased identified as Mr. Nwokedi Chukwu Ebuka Gerald, 28, with state code number BA/25A/2069, was discovered by fellow Christian corps members while they were preparing for Sunday service.
Police said they received a report around 9:20 a.m. and visited the scene, after which the body was taken to the General Hospital in Dambam.
“A medical doctor confirmed him dead.His remains have since been moved to the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, for preservation.
Education
Student of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Samuel Chinecherem Ezeh Breaks Guinness Records For Creating Longest Sleeves
A fashion designer claimed a world record by creating a show-stopping robe with 50-metre sleeves.
The longest sleeves on a garment is 51.20 metres (167.97 ft) and was achieved by Samuel Chinecherem Ezeh (Nigeria) in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria.
That’s longer than the Statue of Liberty is high and longer than an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Samuel made this attempt to create a landmark piece in the field of fashion.
Samuel, 27, who works as a fashion designer and tailor while studying at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, had to overcome a lot to make the garment.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has inaugurated a 23-member committee to determine the admission eligibility of 599 outstanding underage candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), out of over 11,000 candidates in that category.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, emphasizes that scoring 320 is not an automatic ticket to university admission. He notes that each of the affected candidates must also attain at least 80 percent in both their school based assessments and post UTME examinations to be considered.
He further advised parents against cutting corners to secure admission for their underage children, warning that maturity and readiness remain key factors in tertiary education success.
The Registrar also adds that only those who meet all requirements at each stage of the rigorous screening process will be recommended for admission. The final list of successful candidates is expected to be released in September.
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