…Says Policy is Injust, Undermines National Unity & Future Development

By Idowu Bankole

Renowned policy analyst and APC chieftain from Anambra State, Pharmacist Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann, has called on the Presidency to urgently suspend the recently announced cut-off marks for admission into Federal Unity Colleges, citing what he describes as “an alarming and dangerous distortion of Nigeria’s educational standards, equity, and future.”

In a strongly worded press statement issued in Abuja, Klinsmann condemned the glaring disparities in admission criteria across states as “a government-sponsored academic apartheid” and “a systematic injustice that punishes merit, institutionalises mediocrity, and further deepens regional divides.”

According to the 2024/2025 guidelines issued by the Federal Ministry of Education through the National Examination Council (NECO), states such as Anambra and Imo require candidates to score 139 and 138 respectively for admission into Unity Schools, while states like Zamfara and Kebbi have benchmarks as low as 2 and 9 for females and males respectively.

“How do you explain that a child who scores 139 in Anambra State is denied admission, while one who scores 9 from Kebbi gains access to the same school system?” Klinsmann queried. “This is not education—it is political manipulation disguised as federal character. We are grooming a generation where intelligence is punished, and mediocrity is rewarded.”

Klinsmann, drawing from several education reports and court rulings, reminded the public that this practice has persisted for years despite legal condemnation. In a landmark 2014 ruling by a Federal High Court in Lagos, the policy of state-based cut-off marks was declared unconstitutional for violating Section 42(1) of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees protection from discrimination based on ethnicity or place of origin. He criticized the continued disregard of that judgment, describing it as “a willful defiance of both judicial authority and moral logic.”

The APC Chieftain further noted that in 2018, Hon. Randolph Iwo Oruene Brown, a lawmaker from Rivers State, moved a motion in the House of Representatives to investigate the criteria for these cut-off marks, adding that they threaten Nigeria’s future by discouraging merit and fostering resentment,” stated Klinsmann.

Klinsmann went further to question why states in the South-East, which consistently record the highest performance in national exams like WAEC and NECO, are made to bear the brunt of a skewed quota system. “Why is the Southeast being punished for academic excellence?” Klinsmann asked. “Is it now a crime to be brilliant in Nigeria?”

Beyond the numbers, Klinsmann stressed the human consequences of these policies. He cited cases like that of 12-year-old Chidimma from Enugu, who scored 139 but was denied admission, while a boy from Yobe with a score of 36 was admitted into King’s College, Lagos. “Are we telling our children that their hard work is worthless?” he asked. “This isn’t just unfair—it is deeply demoralizing.”

He argued that if the aim of the federal character principle is to address educational imbalance, then the current system has failed miserably. “Instead of motivating underserved regions to improve their standards, we are diluting excellence to accommodate incompetence,” Klinsmann said. “The result is declining academic competitiveness, social division, and future workforce incompetence.”

Pharm. Klinsmann referenced a 2017 report by Passnownow, which highlighted that several unity schools, particularly in the North, failed to produce candidates with the minimum credits required for university admission, indicating a decline in Nigeria’s educational standards.

“And as noted by Zikora Ibeh, a policy analyst at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), the current system risks producing ‘below-par students’ who may struggle in higher education and the workplace, ultimately affecting Nigeria’s economic and social development,” stated Klinsmann.

He compared Nigeria’s approach to international education systems in countries like the United States, Canada, and the UK, where merit-based admission criteria are universally applied, with modest affirmative actions executed transparently and temporarily—not as a permanent policy of disparity.

“You don’t get into Oxford or MIT by scoring 5%, while others scored 90%.Such things only happen in Nigeria. In Western countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, admission to public schools is primarily merit-based, with standardized tests like the SAT, ACT, or GCSE, determining eligibility,” argued Klinsmann.

He noted that these countries have demonstrated that it is possible to promote equity without compromising merit, adding that Nigeria can learn from these models by implementing uniform cut-off marks while investing in educational infrastructure to uplift disadvantaged regions.

Klinsmann also warned that this practice could contribute to the worsening brain drain in Nigeria. “High-performing students who are denied fair access will naturally seek opportunities elsewhere. We are forcing our best minds out of the country.”

He urged the Tinubu administration to take immediate and decisive action by suspending the current admission policy, convening a national stakeholders’ summit on education reform, and implementing a uniform, merit-based admission system for all Unity Schools.

Furthermore , Klinsmann proposed a hybrid solution for equity and merit, recommending the creation of two classes of Unity Schools—one for students scoring above 100, and a specially designed system for those below that threshold, with tailored interventions and support. “Let’s create Special Unity Schools for low scorers, where specially trained teachers can address their academic gaps. But we must stop punishing the intelligent ones. No nation on earth survives by stifling its brightest minds.”

He advocated for massive investments in primary and secondary education infrastructure in underserved regions, to ensure long-term parity without lowering standards for everyone. “Let’s invest in capacity, not compromise excellence. This is how great nations are built.”

Calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene decisively, Klinsmann said, “Mr. President, history will judge you not by the number of policies passed, but by your response to injustice. Will you protect merit and unity, or allow this broken system to fracture our children’s future further?”

The stark disparity in admission criteria, according to Klinsmann, fuels perceptions of injustice, particularly in the South-East, where candidates face the highest cut-off marks. “This breeds distrust and division, undermining the Unity Schools’ original purpose of fostering national integration,” he stated.

He equally called on the National Assembly, civil society, education stakeholders, and all patriotic Nigerians to rise and demand a review of this policy, stating, “This is no longer a regional complaint; it is a national emergency.”

Concluding, Pharm. Klinsmann reiterated his call for fairness, equity, and national cohesion. “The original goal of Unity Schools was to unite our children across regions, religions, and cultures. But what we have now is a system that divides them before they even arrive. We must fix this—urgently.”