Renowned journalist and public affairs analyst, Dr. Reuben Abati, has criticized Nigeria’s education system for sustaining what he called a “two-law structure” that discriminates against students based on their geographic location. Speaking on The Morning Show programme on Arise TV while commenting on educational equity and national development, Abati highlighted glaring disparities in admission requirements between the southern and northern regions of Nigeria, calling the practice “laughable” and “harmful to national development.”
“This country operates two laws — one for the South and one for the North,” another educational analyst stated firmly. “The students seeking admission into unity schools in the South here will need almost 200 marks to get admitted, while those in the North need just 2 marks. Is that not laughable?”
Statistical evidence supports these claims. According to the 2023 data released by the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) , the cut-off marks for admission into Federal Unity Colleges show a stark contrast: candidates from Anambra, Imo, and Lagos States were required to score above 130, while applicants from states such as Zamfara, Yobe, and Kebbi were admitted with scores as low as 2, 9, and 20 respectively. This policy, introduced under the guise of federal character and educational disadvantage, continues to spark national debate.
Dr. Abati argued that such imbalance entrenches mediocrity and undermines merit. “This is a country where a boy from Anambra will score over 300 in the Jamb examination. He will not get admission. Somebody who will score 100 from Kebbi State will enter university. And then before you know it, he will end up as a permanent secretary or as a Supreme Court judge,” he said. “That kind of thing does not work well for national development.”
Experts and critics have repeatedly flagged this quota-based admission policy as counterproductive. A 2021 study by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) revealed that over 68% of students who scored above 250 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and applied to federal universities in southern Nigeria were denied admission, while many candidates with far lower scores gained entry through catchment area and educationally less-developed state quotas.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has also faced scrutiny for what many describe as inconsistent benchmarks. In the 2022 UTME admission cycle, the average admission score into Federal University Kebbi was 110, compared to 265 at the University of Lagos and 270 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for similar courses like Law and Medicine.
Dr. Abati lamented the long-term consequences of the policy, stressing that leadership and civil service positions often end up in the hands of less qualified individuals. “Didn’t that explain why Buhari never wrote a book nor grant any invitation to lecture?” one educational analyst asked rhetorically, in reference to former President Muhammadu Buhari, who has often been criticized for his silence post-office.
He further argued that the nation’s attempt to balance regional inequality through educational concessions has instead widened the gap in academic capacity and national performance. “What is the end result? You have people in charge of critical national institutions who were never truly tested. That weakens governance, it weakens development,” he added.
Calls for educational reform are growing louder. In 2023, the National Assembly received petitions from over 40 civil society organizations demanding the abolition of quota-based university admissions in favour of merit-based systems. Yet, the Ministry of Education maintains that the policy ensures national representation and equity in opportunity.
Dr. Abati, however, concluded with a warning: “If we continue like this, we are laying a dangerous foundation. This isn’t about politics, it’s about the future of our children and the soul of this country.” His remarks echo the frustration of many Nigerian parents and students who feel trapped in a system that rewards where you’re from more than what you know.
