Politics & Society

Sometimes the fascination with a number occurs when one decides to no longer see the number for what it truly is. In 2025, there were 1,716,154 approved admission slots available in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions; however, 1,009,736 places were actually filled. This meant that 706,418 approved places were vacant, constituting roughly 41 percent of the total capacity. However, Nigeria still faces the old problem of admission as many youths find it difficult to gain admission into tertiary institutions and keep trying for years, or drop out of their courses entirely. But why exactly is this happening? It seems Nigeria has not just a problem with lack of opportunities. We have a problem with access. It is a crucial difference. That Tell Us the Difference Between Opportunity and Access A place may be approved but not a feasible option for the individual requiring it. In 2025, the number of available admission places did not equate to 706,418 qualified applicants having empty seats in front of them. That is the dilemma. There could be underutilized places and frustrated applicants in the country simultaneously. As explained by the iRead To Live Initiative, which presented the figures in its August 2026 policy brief, it is the result of a structural gap between the number of admission places available and what applicants are able to reach, want to join and qualify for. This organization had also recommended JAMB to provide more details about the available admission places to help policy makers identify these gaps. Maybe we should not only continue asking: How many admission places do we have? We should also ask: How many of them can the right applicants feasibly access? That question holds even more true when we consider other areas. Consider the area of employment. A company may be having some vacancies, yet people are still unemployed, due to the fact that job applicants do not get to know of these vacancies, or do not meet the requirements of the employers. An employment opportunity which you do not get to know about is as good as no opportunity for you. The same is true for housing. A vacancy in an apartment may not help someone out of his/her housing problem if the rent charged for it is higher than that person can pay. A house may remain vacant while another one is looking for somewhere to stay. Same is the case with agriculture. It is possible for a farmer to grow food yet face difficulties earning a livelihood, since he/she cannot access the market. Even finance is not immune to this problem. While capital may be available in the financial markets, a small businessman may still face the problem of getting access to finance. It Begins with Creation but Doesn't End With It Perhaps this is one of the least visible difficulties of development. We usually gauge success by our achievements: schools, jobs, housing, roads, hospitals, firms, financing initiatives, and IT services. But creation is just the first part of the equation. The other half is the connectivity. Can the student get to the school? Can the worker get to the employer? Can the family afford the house? Can the farmer get to the market? Can the entrepreneur access financing? Can the patient get to the hospital? An organization can thus have capacity and yet fail its intended beneficiaries. This is why those 706,418 wasted admission slots need consideration. They are no indication of the number of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, nor qualified lecturers, nor even financing. They tell us something else: increased capacity does not automatically resolve an access issue. What We Need to Start Asking in Nigeria That difference is important since Nigeria frequently reacts to shortages by questioning how we can make more of those things. Sometimes that is exactly what is required. However, there are times when the question should be: How come people are not able to take advantage of what is already available? When admission slots are lying vacant but applicants have problems obtaining adequate spaces, policy makers must appreciate the difference between potential and availability. When companies say that there are open positions but people have problems finding work, we require better linkage between skills and the companies. When houses are empty but people cannot afford to pay rent, we need to know how wide the gulf is between housing availability and buying ability. When farmers grow food but city dwellers have problems paying for their food, we require a closer look at the link between production and consumption. The point is broader than just education. Development is not only about opening doors. It is about making sure people can walk through them. Perhaps, that is the question that Nigeria should keep asking herself from time to time. Not only: What are we building? But who can get there? The Price of Lost Opportunities Since opportunity on paper will have no value at all. An admission place which is not occupied by anyone cannot provide education to anyone. An employment opportunity which is not accessed cannot employ anyone. A house which no one can afford will not shelter anyone. And capital which is not accessed by the entrepreneur cannot grow his/her business. Therefore, perhaps, Nigeria’s next development challenge is not just to create opportunities but to bridge the gap between those opportunities and the Nigerians that require them. That gap could be physical. It could be financial. It could be information or institutional. But if we do not know what that gap is, we will go on creating opportunities which many Nigerians cannot access. And that will be a very costly form of abundance. Until next time, Oluboba Ayodeji

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