Higher education is the bedrock of any nation's growth. Educational pursuit in Nigeria is a serious issue, but for one reason or the other, not all Nigerians show interest in that endeavour. Therefore, who are the most educated Nigerians at the moment? The North or the South? The East or the West?

OMG this is almost non debatable unless you have some strong back-up statistics, all it'll lead to is ignorant comments, hatred&bashing.

You have all the statistics with Jamb. Do you have their website?

Educational pursuit in Nigeria is a serious issue, but for one reason or the other, not all Nigerians show interest in that endeavour

blame the system, not the people.

If you feel jamb stats are enough to tell the whole story, then therein lies the answer to your topic.

What else could be more enough? All government approved universities and polytechniques (private and public) are under the auspices of JAMB. So information from JAMB should be a good statistical basis to start any informed debate

I don't feel JAMB test scores tell enough about "the most educated Nigerians" as you put it.

Not all students who get into polys, unis, [insert yours here], make it all the way.

Example, if Jamb stats show that Hausas are the most passable into higher institutions, what happens if the most cases of drop-outs are reported to be Hausas, couldn't that mean other ethnicities are getting more education than the hausas who make it into the unis the most? And believe me, many students drop out of school.

Another argument, if Jamb stats are a good enough measure for education, what happens to the many who pass above the cut-off marks but aren't accepted/able to make it to the schools they applied for, hasn't the system hindered their chance at getting even further education.

Look at the newly instituted POST JAMB screenings, many students have been prevented from making it into unis to get more education, even though they passed above/at the cut-off marks for JAMB.

Another stat you can provide that can help is which tribes are the majority in higher institutions.
But even then, higher institutions are not the only measure of who the most educated Nigerians are. There are secondary school students who are more educated than some higher institution students. There are cases of people who home-school & learn on their own. There are Nigerians abroad studying.

Its just 2 hard to argue this 4 so many reasons.
If your argument is not tribal however, it is also harder to prove that easterners or westerners or [ ], are the most educated.

Those who passed the JAMB cut-off and could not pass oral interviews need to have themselves examined. Have you heard of the nigerian cliche "expo''? May be they made their so-called high scores that way. If anything, they should come from all parts of Nigeria. Everything should not be seen in the light of tribalism especially when there is verifiable statistics to support claims. As for studying abroad, all regions of Nigeria do so, but of course the south significantly leads as expected. I have been a student abroad for the past 4 years and I know precisely where and where in Nigeria many of the students I have seen around comes from. No one can really give an accurate distribution of overseas student-nigerian region profile but it is safe to conclude that majority of them are Igbo and Yoruba. On the other hand, JAMB statistics provide a concrete view of the situation within Nigeria.

Tell me outrightly the conclusion you're drawing from your statement.
That it cannot be proven so and so are the most educated Nigerians? or that Jamb tells us so and so are the most educated Nigerians? or Neither?

Those who passed the JAMB cut-off and could not pass oral interviews need to have themselves examined.

How so?

Have you heard of the nigerian cliche "expo''? May be they made their so-called high scores that way.

speculation

If anything, they should come from all parts of Nigeria.

Bingo, I interprete that opinion of yours. as "the most educated Nigerians should come from all parts of Nigeria"
If that's the case then in your opinion, it should be widespread, if it is widespread, how do you prove the discrepancy in the spread  i.e. it is not proportional? You'd probably use Jamb as evidence - is Jamb truly reminiscent of who the most educated Naijas are? If it is proportional/equal, how is it "most", since most refers to a majority/high concentration of? If you want to verify that stance using Jamb, you already questioned it, I can't trust something to support your argument that you yourself openly criticized.
Whilst Jamb is a good indicator of students passable into higher institutions, it is not a very good measure of who the most educated ones among them are. IMO that's where you & I got it mixed up.

Everything should not be seen in the light of tribalism especially when there is verifiable statistics to support claims.

The same statistics whose credibility you questioned above as perhaps rigged?
Until you and I can agree that JAMB is a good source, our discussion will be difficult to conceive

As for studying abroad, all regions of Nigeria do so, but of course the south significantly leads as expected.

Evidence?

I have been a student abroad for the past 4 years and I know precisely where and where in Nigeria many of the students I have seen around comes from.

I'd accept this argument if you tell me how abroad you 've been for the past 4 years. Single location/moving about - but since you're arguing for the students you've come across I can't deny it, I take your word for it.

No one can really give an accurate distribution of overseas student-nigerian region profile but it is safe to conclude that majority of them are Igbo and Yoruba.

I agree with you on this even though I don't have the proof either.

On the other hand, JAMB statistics provide a concrete view of the situation within Nigeria

Nah! quit playing, refer to my previous post.

1. Anyone who claimed to have passed JAMB, but could not pass the post-UME exam is a fraud. That has been accepted even by the universities themselves.

2. Nigerians who engage in ''expo'' come from every part of the country. So that cancels itself out.

3. Some northern students on state govt scholarship (I know of Jigawa at least) are studying in Russia. However, more than 80 % of genuine Nigerian students abroad are Igbo and Yoruba

4. Did my MSc study in Belgium and currently following a PhD in Germany. Have been to the UK several times, so I have a good idea of Nigerian studentship there.

In conclusion, I repeat that the JAMB statistics remain the only reliable yardstick to measure who is most (but not necessarily better) educated in Nigeria. Like you said, while some Nigerian high school certificate holders may be better than some graduates in general terms (I think perhaps in English language or mathes depending on specific cases), majority of the former are actually dumbly defficient, hence high school education in Nigeria is ''shaize'' (German for ''shit''). Many thanks to JAMB for this earth-shaking revelation that Igbo, followed by the Niger Delta are currently the most educated Nigerians.

docokwy:

Higher education is the bedrock of any nation's growth. Educational pursuit in Nigeria is a serious issue, but for one reason or the other, not all Nigerians show interest in that endeavour. Therefore, who are the most educated Nigerians at the moment? The North or the South? The East or the West?

You left out other important categories like:
- the men or the women?
- the prostitutes or the nuns?
- the Christians and Muslims or the atheists?
- The tall people or the short people?
- the beautiful people or the ugly people?
- the fat girls (urhobo) or the skinny girls (lepa)?

Guys,i think JAMB is not the best approach to this post.When u talk about the most educated Nigerians?i think we should focus on the most successful people in Nigeria.As far as i know JAMB is not the true taste of knowlege,most of the successful academician we have, were not so good in their jamb scores.so why using JAMB as a criteria?

The west(yorubas ) were once the most educated but in present time i think both the west and the south and east are balanced in education. for the northerners no statistics.

According to the CIA fact book,  age 15 and over that can read and write is 68% of the total population
male: 75.7%
female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

couldn't find any geographical data but talking with expats that have worked all over Nigeria, Igbos are the most educated followed by Yorubas and finally the Northern peoples (due mostly to uneducated women)

PS: I am not Igbo before anyone asks.

[b]When we look the past statistics and records it really show the west as the most educated Nigerians. This was as a result to the educational Revolutionary they benefited from Awolowo
whom merely filled a compursory education in the western region of Nigera with the slogan of free education, this really prompt the beneficiaries the habit of going to school, it really yearned a success making them being ellited and also an edge over the their fellow canterparts the northern and the eastern region then.

But in the present age it have really come to balance, the northern, southern and eastern had really follow suite and every persons' is eager to go to school, not only going but be Educated

to think of what some others forks are saying concerning jamb, I absolutely dont think that jamb score is the best cateria in knowing The Most Educated Nigerian. yes every body is eager to go to school but not all are going there to be educated some are there for just the certificate in order to gain employment and make money why some big fools are there for funs. jamb result can not be relay upon. some get high scores in Jamb, by paying some certian amount. why will u think of that as a cateria.

Presently I can think of many personality I think are the most Educated Nigerians, come to think of it there are not concentreted in a given region but from different part of the country.
They are not only judge as educated beacuse they are successfull men or women, but becuase have added value to our life, is it by there creativity, their novel or their words of wisdom or their attribution to humanity.
I dont really want to mention names here cause there are many.[/b]

draw your conclusions.

latest UME figures.

Further statistics of applicants seeking admissions for the 2006/2007 session revealed that Imo State maintained her lead with the highest candidates of 83,895, Edo 57,754, Anambra 57,607, Delta 54,522, Abia 39,054 and Akwa Ibom recorded 36,054.

While the following six states recorded the lowest number of applications, Kebbi 3,292, Taraba 3,120, Sokoto 2,921, Zamfara 2,326, Jigawa 2,031 and Yobe State produced 1,589 candidates.
Investigations revealed that after the policy meeting on admissions, the authorities of the nation’s universities have fixed different dates for the controversial post-UME test ahead of their resumption for next academic session.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/education/2006/sept/19/education-19-09-2006-002.htm

So statistics is no longer tenable? Na wa for naija people oh. And, who is talking of the north, especially the core north with regards to being amongst the most educated? Those guys are still eating gworo and almajirising. Still 100 years behind. As for the south, it is possible that the west was the most educated before, when there was the western Nigerian govt scholarship. I benefitted from it between 1980-1982 for my primary education before Dad got transfered out of the west. It is also possible that it was so because it was free. Now that it is no longer free, water has found its level. Imagine Ondo (the erstwhile hotbed of Nigerian academics) posting consistently very poor admission data in recent years. Free food good oh! lol. The Igbo are putting profits from their famed trading skills in education. I admire them.

True, not everybody that gets into the uni makes it, but is there is any statistics to show who (south, east, west, north) does not make it to the end?

Danniecool, do well to polish your grammar. It sucks

i think the right organisation to get the info is NYSC

JAMB remains the only veritable yardstick. Take it or leave it. Everything can be found at:

1. http://www.jambng.com/adm_ume.php
2. http://www.jambng.com/adm_pce.php

couldn't help but notice that Jigawa had 54 females and 155 males register for jamb in the 2004/2005 enrollment.

How impressive!!

The north is a pathetic basket case, education-wise. The only saving grace is Benue and Kogi. Even Plateau was surprisingly backwards. Kano with its 9.3 million people, is all hot air and no substance, posting only just more than 1000 admissions per annum.

Benue isn't really somewhere you'll refer to as Northern.

We all know that the South is the most educated part of Nigeria. The southern part of Nigeria produces 99 percents of the wealth of the country. The North have less educated people and they need to wake up because they are really backward and sloppy. High poverty is in the country because the productivity in the North is very low and pathetic.

4rom babyosisi stas, lets give it 2 igbos

lmao @ Seun

@

Many thanks to JAMB for this earth-shaking revelation that Igbo, followed by the Niger Delta are currently the most educated Nigerians.

what about the millions of Igbo boys who now stop at primary school and head to Alaba and Balogun to trade how do you account forthis?, I think the Yorubas are the clear leader by miles, mind u am not Yoruba, i am proudly Kogi

toni tone:

@
what about the millions of Igbo boys who now stop at primary school and head to Alaba and Balogun to trade how do you account forthis?, I think the Yorubas are the clear leader by miles, mind u am not Yoruba, i am proudly Kogi

FYI, many of those igbo tradesmen hold degrees of some sort icluding ONDs and HNDs. I know two mechanical engineering graduates who help their elder ones with their trades as they couldn't secure jobs after their studies.
Also northern states pay huge bursaries to their indigenes home and abroad, if they choose to go to university. The south wouldn't dare to do such a thing because there would be no funds left as southerners now see obtaining a universities as almost as normal as breathing.
That should tell which region is more educated.

dunno why people think igbo ppl dont go 2 skool, most of dem went to skool and cuz of situation in naija, they enter into business like how ppl say Nnewi ppl r only business ppl, na lie

Hotstepper:

don't know why people think igbo people don't go 2 school, most of them went to school and because of situation in naija, they enter into business like how people say Nnewi people r only business people, na lie

Quit deceiving anybody, Nnewi people are only business people, motorcycle spare parts business only at that! In fact it's so bad that if an Nnewi man does not buy a motorcycle for his wife, then the romance hasn't started.

toni tone:

@
what about the millions of Igbo boys who now stop at primary school and head to Alaba and Balogun to trade how do you account forthis?, I think the Yorubas are the clear leader by miles, mind u am not Yoruba, i am proudly Kogi

Those guys that trade make more than enough money to educate their family so it balances it out. Isn't it funny how even though Igbos migrate alot, Igbo states still have the highest number of JAMB enrollment?. . .Money to finance education has to come from somewhere, it comes from those that trade.

TONI TONE,

What about millions of Yoruba who are involved in ''mamaput'' and taxi driving? Go to Kano, Port Harcourt, Warri and other major towns outside Yorubaland. There you will find that virtually all the mama put and taxi drivers are yoruba people. What about 75 million almajiris and beggars in the north, including Kogi? If there are more Igbo traders (by the way, Yoruba women also do a lot of trading nowadays) and yet also more Igbo graduates and undergraduates ( so JAMB records says), it boils down to one thing: Igbo is the single largest ethnic group in Nigeria.

what Yorubas are the most educated tribe in naija,gbam!!!crucify me, but that's not debatable.

i think the right organisation to get the  info is NYSC

This is indeed the very best way to verify the current most educated zone of the country as regards bachelor degrees and HNDs.
As enumerated by several people, being admited to a tertiary institution is one thing, while graduating is a different ball game.
Also remember that, Yorubas are also in Kogi and Kwara states.
so without any fear of favour the yorubas are still leading in this respect.