Aminu Ahmad, a beneficiary of the scholarship program established by the Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has achieved the highest score in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Northern Nigeria. His remarkable score of 345 outshone hundreds of other candidates across the region. Ahmad, a final-year student at Al-Hudahuda College in Zaria, Kaduna State, achieved impressive scores across all subjects, with 98 in Physics, 96 in Mathematics, 94 in Chemistry, and 57 in English. This achievement underscores the transformative power of educational investment, particularly for students from underprivileged backgrounds. Ahmad’s success story embodies the potential that lies dormant within many young Nigerians, awaiting the opportunity to flourish.
The minister’s scholarship initiative, a personal endeavor, aims to address the educational disparities prevalent in Northern Nigeria. It provides crucial support to students from low-income families, enabling them to pursue academic excellence and unlock their full potential. Ahmad’s accomplishment serves as a compelling testament to the effectiveness of this initiative, demonstrating the positive impact it has on the lives of the beneficiaries and the broader educational landscape. The program’s focus on nurturing talent within marginalized communities provides a pathway for social mobility and contributes to the overall development of the region.
While Ahmad’s accomplishment shines a light on the success of the scholarship program within Northern Nigeria, Afolabi Olumide Ayodeji, a student from Icon Comprehensive College in Akure, Ondo State, secured the highest national score of 370 in the 2025 UTME. This underscores the competitive nature of the examination and further highlights the significance of Ahmad’s achievement within the Northern region. It also paints a picture of the diverse distribution of academic talent across the country.
Minister Abbas expressed profound pride in Ahmad’s performance, recognizing it as a validation of the transformative power of educational investment. He emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for young people to excel and reiterated his commitment to expanding the scholarship program. The Minister views education as the cornerstone of national development and youth empowerment, believing that by investing in education, the nation invests in its future. He sees the success of Ahmad and other scholarship recipients as an inspiration to continue and expand the program’s reach.
Comrade Gwamna Ladan, a lecturer at the Kaduna State College of Education, lauded the minister’s initiative as a bold and timely intervention in addressing the educational challenges confronting Northern youths. He praised the program’s potential to inspire a new generation of scholars from the region, viewing it as a blueprint for sustainable change rather than mere philanthropy. Ladan’s commendation underscores the broader impact of the scholarship scheme, extending beyond individual beneficiaries to inspire and motivate other young people in the region.
The 2025 UTME results, released earlier in the week, saw over 1.6 million candidates participating nationwide. This significant number of applicants underscores the competitive landscape of tertiary education in Nigeria, further emphasizing the magnitude of Ahmad’s achievement. His success, achieved against a backdrop of widespread competition, represents not only personal triumph but also the efficacy of targeted educational support programs. The results highlight the immense potential within Nigeria’s youth population, awaiting the opportunity to be nurtured and developed. The scholarship program, therefore, emerges as a beacon of hope, demonstrating a practical approach to unlocking this potential and contributing to the overall progress of the nation.
