How 27% young Nigerians are denied university education by poverty

For many young Nigerians, the dream of a university education ends not in failure, but in lack of funds. Brilliant students with strong results are forced to abandon their academic ambitions as household incomes collapse under rising living costs.

Today, poverty denies 27 percent of Nigerian youth the chance to attend university, turning education from a right into a privilege for the few who can afford it.

According to data from UNICEF, the World Bank, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), NBS, NUC and several other national data sources available today show that, out of 100 children born in Nigeria, about 20 never enter school at all.

Of the remaining 80 who enter primary school, only about 56 complete primary education. That means 20 do not enter primary school, and an additional 25 will drop out of primary before they get to primary 6.

And of those who complete primary school, only about 45 percent will go on to complete junior or secondary school. From that point, only about 39 will eventually finish SS3.  And at that point, only 12 gain access to tertiary education.

According to Orondaam Otto, the founder of Slum2school Africa, “This is where the greatest loss happens, because 27 capable and passionate young Nigerians, are blocked by limited capacity.

“They’re blocked by high tuition costs, catchment area policies; and out of those 12 who eventually get into the university, just about eight make it out of university.”

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Otto emphasised the concomitant implication is that conservatively, just 90 percent of Nigerian children would pass through the education system, but never get the full benefits of formal employment to pipeline employment.

“They simply end up in different economic realities as traders, artisans, farmers, transport workers, wage earners, bus conductors, drivers, and multiple informal activities.

“They are economically active, but most of them are in an informal economy, where they are unregistered, untaxed, unprotected from labour laws, no job security, no health insurance, and no pension,” he stressed.

Majority of Nigerian youth in the labour market are simply surviving the system. And survival is what people do when the system has not created a pathway for them to fully realise their potential.

Otto outlined a framework, which he called a framework of national evolution, how countries could evolve and become prosperous.

The first state is what he called the stage of survival, the second is a state of stability, the third is a state of sovereignty, the fourth is sophistication, and the fifth is supremacy.

Nigeria, he said, is a very incredible country with immense potential, but we are at a delicate stage between survival and stability.

“A nation cannot be stable if its people are merely surviving. It cannot be sovereign without long-term vision, agency and collective ownership.

“It cannot be sophisticated if it consumes more than it produces, and it can’t be supreme if it doesn’t shape global ideas and solutions,” Otto emphasised.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), “Cost of food in Nigeria increased 13.12 percent in October of 2025 over the same month in the previous year.

“Food Inflation in Nigeria averaged 14.14 percent from 1996 until 2025, reaching an all-time high of 40.87 percent in June of 2024.”

Poverty is higher in rural areas, with about 72 percent of rural Nigerians living in poverty, compared to about 42 percent in urban areas; rural areas are more exposed to insecurity, disruption of agriculture, and displacement.

The survey shows wide variation by state: for instance, poverty incidence ranges from as low as 27 percent in some states to as high as 91 percent in others, such as Sokoto State, many of the worst-off states are those most affected by banditry, insurgency or communal conflict.

According to a World Bank report in 2024, about 129 million Nigerians live below the national poverty line, a sharp increase compared to prior years.

Insecurity is a key driver of poverty increase in Nigeria by disrupting livelihoods, agricultural production, and economic activity, especially in the north and conflict-affected regions.

Poverty rates have worsened sharply in recent years, coinciding with heightened insecurity coupled with inflation and economic shocks.

Available records show that Nigeria’s extreme poverty rate increased from about 40 percent in 2019 to over 60 percent by 2025, according to World Bank and NBS-based projections.

Until poverty is no longer a deciding factor in who accesses university education, Nigeria’s goal of inclusive growth will remain out of reach. Reducing the 27 percent exclusion rate demands targeted scholarships, affordable tuition structures, student loan transparency, and economic support for vulnerable families.

Investing in education is not optional, it is essential for breaking the cycle of poverty and securing the nation’s future