By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
A beneficiary of the scholarship scheme initiated by the Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has emerged as the top scorer in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Northern Nigeria, with a remarkable score of 345.
The student, Aminu Ahmad, a final-year pupil of Al-Hudahuda College in Zaria, Kaduna State, outperformed hundreds of candidates across the North to clinch the highest score in the annual examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
A breakdown of Ahmad’s UTME scores shows: Physics – 98, Mathematics – 96, Chemistry – 94, and English – 57.
Ahmad is one of several underprivileged students from Northern Nigeria currently benefiting from the minister’s personal education support initiative, which aims to bridge educational inequality and nurture academic talent from low-income backgrounds.
Meanwhile, Afolabi Olumide Ayodeji, a student of Icon Comprehensive College, Akure, Ondo State, was reported to have emerged as the overall top scorer in the 2025 UTME nationwide with 370 scores.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday, Malam Abbas hailed Ahmad’s achievement as a testament to the power of educational investment.
“This success story shows what our young people can achieve when given the right opportunities. I am proud of Aminu’s performance and deeply encouraged to continue supporting more students in their academic journey,” the minister said.
He reaffirmed his commitment to expanding the scholarship programme, noting that education remains the most sustainable path to national development and youth empowerment.
Also speaking, a lecturer at the Kaduna State College of Education, Comrade Gwamna Ladan, applauded the minister’s intervention, describing it as “a bold and timely response to the educational challenges facing Northern youths.”
“Acts like this have the potential to inspire a new generation of scholars from the region. What Malam Abbas has done is more than philanthropy — it’s a blueprint for sustainable change,” Ladan said.
News reports that the 2025 UTME results were released earlier this week, with JAMB confirming that over 1.6 million candidates sat for the examination across the country.
