₦airaland Forum

Over my decade of teaching in Nigerian secondary schools, few policy shifts have troubled me as deeply as the reduction of JAMB's minimum cut-off mark to 140 — and most recently, the controversial flirtation with 120. This decision, however well-intentioned, has fundamentally undermined the gatekeeping function that JAMB was designed to serve. The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination exists precisely to filter and identify students who are genuinely prepared for the rigours of university education. When the benchmark is set so embarrassingly low that a student needs only to correctly answer roughly one in three questions to qualify for admission, we are no longer measuring readiness — we are simply processing bodies into lecture halls. A score of 180, which was the standard in more academically disciplined eras, demanded consistent preparation, subject mastery, and intellectual effort. Returning to that threshold is not elitism; it is a basic commitment to educational integrity that Nigerian students, parents, and employers deserve.


The consequences of this lowered standard are ones I witness firsthand in the feedback I receive from university lecturers and in the alarming stories that filter back from former students. Young people who secured admission with scores of 140 or 150 frequently arrive at university campuses without functional reading habits, without elementary problem-solving skills, and without the study discipline that higher education demands. A student who did not need to genuinely study to pass JAMB has already learned a dangerous lesson — that minimum effort produces sufficient reward. This mentality does not disappear at the university gate; it follows them into their programmes, producing graduates who struggle to write coherent reports, defend basic concepts, or compete in a global economy. The deterioration in graduate quality that Nigerian employers and postgraduate institutions now routinely lament is not accidental. It is the predictable harvest of seeds planted by a compromised admission standard.


Restoring the 180 cut-off mark would send an unambiguous message to every secondary school student in Nigeria: preparation is non-negotiable. It would incentivise students to take their SS1 through SS3 years seriously, restore the relevance of classroom teaching, and compel schools to raise their instructional standards competitively. Universities would equally benefit, receiving cohorts that are cognitively ready, reducing dropout rates, and rebuilding institutional reputations. Nigeria's future — economic, scientific, and civic — depends on the quality of minds its universities produce. That quality begins at the entrance gate, and right now, that gate is dangerously wide open.

I overlook a lot of things as a husband knowing that my wife is not my age-mate, not as experienced as I am in many things, not as educated as I am too. Most of her mistakes, I see them as products of her lack of many life experiences.

A man is always the man of his house. Always be the boss. Give your wife power in deciding many non-executive aspects of the house. Consult her when making some decisions. Support her as much as you can. Empower her. Do not undermine her authority, it will make her kids devalue her leadership role in the house.

Of all the men out there, she chose you alone to be her husband. Be kind, be gentle, be forgiving, be resolute. Be the man.

ManirBK:
Most Christians don't know that Jewish people don't believe in Jesus Christ may peace be upon him.

Tell them kai dai ɗan Birnin-Kebbi

Reduce your screen time especially at night. Do not eat heavy foods. If you can, try sleeping in the morning especially during weekends.

DarkJeddi:
An Argungun fishing festival and no single fish on sight.
O dikwa egwuooo!

The main fishing event is tomorrow Saturday, Feb 14th

Love800:
Thanks so much.

Sorry for my late reply.

You're welcome. I've had lactose intolerance for some time, I just didn't realise it on time. In the past, the amount of milk I use to consume was just too much. It was my fault. Anytime I now take even fura da nono, my gut will start bloating little by little till I take medication.

Love800:
So you nor dey drink milk again!

Yes.

I monetized most of my skills, and it got me paid more. I ended a relationship I was in, and met someone else. We're getting married in two weeks time. I also officially stopped consuming milk as I'm lactose intolerant - my health improved alot. I also got more involved in running my business.

I thank God.

Nigerians matter no dey finish. For the more than 6 years I've been teaching, no WAEC or NECO exam has ever been written by students. They all bring their phones to school on the day of any such exam. The school has already created a WhatsApp group they share expo with all the students. Students no dey even know the exam wey dem go write on that day.

We've been in denial in this country for so many years. Person wey score 156 for JAMB dey carry 5 or 6 distinctions for WAEC. CBT all the way. Each and every student should earn their credits.

Well, I don't think it this way. Life's not a cookbook that one must follow every step of a recipe. Many people married in their mid and late 20s and succeeded. Some in their 50s also succeeded. I wish everyone enduring happiness

A German proverb says "Children that are brought up to do nothing become adults that cannot do anything".

A core northerner I am. I had my primary education between Abeoukuta and Lagos. Every morning I woke up, I did my chores (wash the dishes, sweep the house, even fetch water, eat my breakfast and I walk to school. My uncle was very friendly, yet very harsh when I do nonsense. I was commended for doing very well in school, yet I get my own punishment (caining, pick pin, even extra chores) whenever I do wrong. I use to run away from home thinking that my uncle and aunt hated me. I even use to wash my clothes right from primary 3 or 4.

Upon my return to the North, I realised that I'm the most independent among my siblings, had better education than them, more disciplined, more open-minded, smarter, even more responsible.

Till this day I'm always proud of Lagos for everything it gave me during my childhood. Though our school were public, yet we were much better educated than the kids we have here in private primary and secondary schools. I always thank God for the time I spent with my uncle there.

We always forget that even the civilised western societies many Nigerians revere today were once very backward. There was suffering, corruption, wars and many woes. They took their time to transition to where they are today. In my opinion, its a mistake to compare our values to that of many European nations and even think we can adopt everything they have today into our society.

We should take our time and bring our kids up properly. When values of morals and human goodness have spread in the country, there might be very few people to punish, even in schools. Looking at the way we are now, I'd rather say our parents and elders of the 80s, 90s did much better than us today. Crimes were minimal, corruption minimal, education better, economy more functioning.

Guys is this for real?

I just checked, and I'm also shortlisted.

Please is this thing legit?

TimeManager:
Long overdue, all sectors have to be digitalized, WAEC, NECO to start CBT by next year. Aviation, Interior, FIRS, are reaping great rewards from it.

- Kiss the truth!

This is what I want the most WAEC, NECO CBT. I feel this will be the beginning of a new era in this country. Students have totally lost it

Good evening House.

As a citizen of this country, particularly one whose immediate environment has several times come under bandits attacks, a more pressing problem is emerging. The National ID card many of us are using, which we believe is the most central database the government has of the many folks in this country, is now been gradually compromised.

I am penning this down here as a person who has met and interacted with more than five people who have more than one National ID Card - more than one NIN. Of these people I am talking about, one of them told me he had to get another one so that he will be eligible for NYSC because in his original NIN slip he's already above 30, which is the highest age for the scheme. He paid only ₦2,000 to get it. How were your fingerprints not detected?, I asked, and he said he flipped (tilted them upside-down) for the second capture. He was never flagged. Another person I also know got her own by having her toeprints captured instead of her fingerprints.

It is now getting very bad that some people having new NIN slips simply because there was a mistake in their name they want to correct, or worse still their date of birth.

They are doing this because NIMC staff in our locality here, and nearby towns have enabled it, and made it very easy.

I am deeply worried at the turn our security has taken in this country, but I simply know that we are making catching criminals more difficult, and compromising our society.
Thanks

The Federal Universities we have in Kebbi and Sokoto states do give admission to study MBBS to students that score 235 and above in JAMB. I know some of our ex students that are studying MBBS with those scores. It must be really hard to people in other parts of the country where even a score of 300 won't get you into a federal medical school.

Highest I've seen from anybody in my community is a girl that once scored 310 while in SS 2 and subsequently got around 288 a year after she finished, with which she got MBBS in the uni.

The cut off mark in Kebbi and Sokoto universities is 140. I just wonder how many kids will be eligible to go to university should it be 200.

Congratulations to the kiddo. Nigeria is very proud of you. I pray the talents and skills you get later in life will be of immense benefit to the country.

Truth be told, some jobs will make you miserable, and feel worthless. I've had this feeling many times, sometimes I just feel that my boss is gaslighting me.

I hope you live a happy new life, and make progress in the things you do next.

In Hausa we say "sha yanzu, magani yanzu", meaning for drugs "drink now and be healed now.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Nobody would want to emulate these people in China.

I think it won't be possible to say so so so people are the most beautiful on the planet. There are many beautiful women everywhere among all ethnic groups in the world. These ones are celebrities and people see them a lot. Many women are in their husband's houses with all their beauty tending to their families.

jendoslim:
See enablers

You guys saw them in your village and failed to report to proper authority

Northerners and sense sha

Bagiza is in a nearby local government, I do not live there, learned about it after the incident. And just so you know, they come across security agencies on several occasions. They must've known about thier presence in Bagiza. No doubt about it. Its very common sighting them in many villages, especially the villages along Argungu-Bachaka axis. The security agencies simply don't engage them, may be no orders.

It's true. I'm a resident of Argungu and the incident occurred on the outskirts of Argungu town on a roadside village Natsini. However, the news only made reference to the ranch owned by Lauwali Black, there are other Fulani settlers not very far from Natsini where many cattle were also rustled. I heard of one Ladan who lost about 300 cattle to them, and many smaller herders.

The gunmen, according to what we heard gathered at a village market in Bagiza that day, everyone saw them going abouy their normal life carrying their Kalashnikovs. It was later in the night - some minutes before 10:00pm that they killed two police officers manning a checkpoint, one civilian and then raided the ranch belonging to Lauwali Black.

The Lakurawa are still here, any news claiming the group has been completely decimated has now been proved otherwise. May God help us all.

Things are not good.

True love still exist among few people. The problem in Nigeria is that the average person worships(figuratively) money and think that without money you can't even live a normal life. I have seen relationships (even marriages) that collapsed because of financial struggles, and have equally seen couples that defied all odds to still remain together and love and smile. Life is complicated and beyond anyone's total control.
A rich man may never know for real whether his wife or partner truly loves him.

You cannot know the strength of your bonds with people until a adversity befalls you. You will know who can help you, who will play you, and who will run entirely away from you.

I remember Dangote saying he is humble because he wants to be able to live a normal life whether he is rich or poor.

To look at life and love from a financial angle alone is very myopic.

I believe his allegations are baseless, but I barely take the words of a head of state as lies and baseless. I just hope it is not what I'm thinking

This is a huge amount of money being put to the ground with a corpse.

130m could provide the community he comes from with quality drinking water, or improve quality of education in the local school, or fund the start up capital many youth are in dire need of.

The way we extravagantly spend on burials, marriage ceremonies, elections tells alot about our way of thinking. When we all help each other on a path to progress, life becomes better and more fulfilling. But to spend so much on the dead, I think, is a very bad idea.

It is people that made culture, and they will be the ones to change it.

ovie8200:
Hmmmmm, the USA occupies half of all the top 100 universities in the world. Well, USA to the world. To those who are linking China and Russia ass, how far? !

The US is likely to attract a good number of student from around the world because of their language. Russia and China are different countries, not weak in anyway.

If we can have one decent and extremely competitive university in each state of Nigeria, I think it'd be better than having many of them no better than some secondary schools.

I pity us all when even JAMB decided to lower its cut off mark in order to accommodate more students in tertiary institutions. I know a good number of university students today who didn't even study anything for JAMB exam, got 140 and secured admission into university.


I'm very sure if tertiary education in Nigeria becomes expensive and qualitative, many people will get value for their money, and in them, you'll see a learned people.

Hopefully we will stop deceiving ourselves in this country, and for once, be objective about everything we do. That day will be the day Nigeria debuts into a sane nation.

And after all this is over, you should love again, and marry again. Don't deny yourself that. Life goes on.

So sorry about your loss. Immediate family members should be there for you in these trying times.

The issue of inheritance in the place you come from is very very disturbing. You have to carefully navigate your way out of it via legal means. Litigagtions are meant to settle disputes, so don't feel bad about taking legal action to get what is rightfully yours. In the end, the other children of your late husband are your child's siblings. They are a family now. Make sure the bond doesn't get broken.


In Islam, the issue of inheritance is very mathematical and simple. There are people who will inherit from him, like you the widow he left behind, and all his kidss (the males take twice as much the females.

My condolences.

Many of these soldiers are very young people. God forbid! Imagine person who's not even upto 25 having killed probably many people.

How these people live after all these wars, I don't know. Many will be haunted by the lives they've taken.

No matter how powerful a country is, sometimes it has to let other countries do their things. You can't be in total control of everything about people's lives.

The amount of money Nigerian politicians spend in the name of gaining, or maintain power is too much. Sometimes we have to think for ourselves how best we handle our affairs.

Bibi is a very funny man. Nowhere in the Middle East is Israel liked by anyone, let alone the Iranians. The West must have itself to blame for everything that happens in that region. Is there a reason why Palestinians can't have a state? Is there any sense in the endless land grabbing the Palestinians are facing in their ancestral homes? No.

Before the Second World War, the people of Palestine have been living in peace with their Jewish neighbors. Nobody harmed them. Event changed after the war. The idea of Zionism was born, and many of them started trooping back to Palestinian land and forcing them out of their homes, killing hundreds of thousands of them.

Israel is a strong country in the Middle East today only because of the aid America has been giving them for long. With their F-35 Adir, they have air superiority against any country in the region. America has been arming them with their most advanced weapons. So, no country is a military match for them. No Muslim country in the world operates the F-35, not even Turkey, an important NATO member country. Not one.

Many Palestinians have die, and will continue dying in the hands of Israel. No doubt. But the Israelis will always have a war to fight. And its no peace for anyone.


Resistance against oppressors don't die. Look at how ISIS, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban. It goes on for as long as men draw breath. Many people join the resistance because they've lost loved ones.

The aid money Israel has received from its supporters since October 7th is enough to turn the economy of Nigeria for the better. The money they spend on a daily basis is just too much.

Humans are very dynamic. You can't force yourself on them.

Islie:
https://punchng.com/govt-interventions-can-crash-dangote-petrol-below-n600-litre-refiners/?amp

The earlier we Nigerians let the pricing of things to be determined solely by market forces the better. God knows I'm tired of this petrol price news everyday. We should all learn to adjust our ways and do better things with our lives. The lives of more than 200 million people shouldn't be controlled by the price of fuel abeg. Like tomatoes, the price of everything should be left to be. We buy when we can, we stay away when we can't.

Who decides what year a student sits for WAEC, or even start attending university in Nigeria?

Obviously, it is the government. There are many ups and downs to starting tertiary education at 18 years or above. I have seen how mental maturity helps a lot of secondary school students to be composed and focused on their studies, with the serenity and calmness of adults. They learn more easily, understand more broadly, and even have a wider perspective of life. To sum it up, I would say these young adults already have a purpose of being in secondary school - to learn as much as they could, sufficient enough to earn them a place in the course they wish to study in the university, and above all, the career path they will want to pursue.


As it is well known, many other students still do well in secondary school even before their 18th birthday. A simple example is the overall best student of JAMB in 2022 who couldn't secure admission to study chemcal engineering in UNILAG because of their age restriction. One must be 18years or older before studying in UNILAG.

I am not the government, I do not think its my place to question why they made it 18years as the minimum age required to sit for WASSCE or university admission. In the little corner I have been working in a secondary school for more then five years now, I have learned alot about the ambition many students have for themselves and their relative performance in JAMB as regards to their age. The best six students of our that scored 240 and above in JAMB got those marks at their second or third attempts at the exam, which corresponds to one or two years from the time of their graduation. At best, they got less than 220 while in SS 3 - their first attempt. Though,l we even had one that scored 310 whilst she was in SS 2.

I hope there are other angles to my point of view. Thw school I work is good. I would rate it 5 on a 0 to 10 scale. It's a relatively cheap private school with students paying less than ₦60,000 per annum.

We also have a lot of parents wanting their kids to skip classes. Some would want their kids to write WAEC, NECO and JAMB while in SS 2. Worst case scenario, we have had some students spending only four years in the secondary school - JSS 1 and 3, and SS 1 and 2 only. Yet, they get less than 150 in JAMB, and the local universities here will give them admission.

I think the examination bodies should come up with clear guidelines as to how old a student must be before sitting for WAEC.
Must a secondary school student be 18years before sitting for WAEC and NECO, or must the student be not less than 18 before finishing said exam?

I believe the minister's announcement was incomplete and not detailed enough to capture the main points of the message. WAEC registration is usually done offline using a software that requires NIN, but no NIN online validation to harmonise between the information provided by applicants and the one on their NIN database. JAMB does better at this. They only use an applicant's NIN and all their information will automatically come up. If WAEC and NECO could upgrade their systems and emulate this, there will be harmony in the database of not only Nigerian students, but all other citizens as well. It raises suspicion as to why will NIN be a requirement for WAEC and NECO registration, yet it is not in any way used in the process.


The minister should clarify on the matter, and give schools enough guidelines to ensure proper compliance.

Kindly share your opinions on the initial write up.