By John Alechenu

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has raised concerns over the shortage of universities in Nigeria and the dangers prospective students face while attempting to sit for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.

Obi, in a post on his verified X handle on Sunday, expressed displeasure over reports of students being scheduled to sit for exams as early as 6:30 a.m., many of whom are barely teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17.

He lamented that many students are forced to travel in the dark, across insecure and unfamiliar terrains, simply to exercise their basic right to education and sit for JAMB examinations.

The former Anambra State governor said, “Setting exams for vulnerable teenagers as early as 6:00 a.m., while transporting them across far-flung locations, is reckless. Already, reports are emerging of students getting into accidents, losing their young lives, some going missing, and many others being subjected to unnecessary trauma.

“Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?”

He noted that the situation highlights a deeper systemic failure — the glaring shortage of universities and examination centers in Nigeria.

Obi explained, “Today, Nigeria has just about 200 universities for a population of over 200 million people. That equates to one university for every one million citizens, a very disturbing ratio that reflects the dire state of access to education in the country.”

Citing data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and IndexMundi, Obi pointed out that countries aspiring for strong development and broad access to higher education aim for a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of at least 40 percent. However, Nigeria’s GER stands at a mere 12 percent.

He compared Nigeria’s situation to that of Indonesia, noting that the Southeast Asian nation, with a population of about 280 million people, boasts over 4,000 tertiary institutions — about one university per 70,000 citizens — and a GER of over 45 percent. Indonesia has more than 10 million students enrolled in tertiary education across various age groups.

“Indonesia’s substantial investment in education is evident in its university-to-population ratio, supporting its large student population,” Obi said. “Nigeria’s GER, on the other hand, is significantly below the global average, showing the urgent need for substantial investment in education, which would, in turn, drive national growth and development.”

Obi emphasized that, unlike Nigeria, Indonesia has universities spread across every region, ensuring easier and safer access to education and examinations.

“If we had even half of Indonesia’s educational infrastructure — around 2,000 universities — Nigerian children would not be forced into life-threatening journeys just to write an exam, only to still face admission challenges after succeeding,” he argued.

Obi stressed that education is not a luxury or an expense, but the most crucial investment for any nation’s development.

“You cannot claim to want development while starving the young generation of access to knowledge. You cannot claim to value your citizens while risking the lives of teenagers every examination season,” he said.

He called for an aggressive and intentional expansion of Nigeria’s education system to match the country’s growing population.

“Our young generation should not be endangered simply because they desire an education. We must do better as a nation and ensure that our future leaders inherit the new Nigeria they deserve,” Obi concluded.