The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in collaboration with Rite Foods Limited, has rewarded seven outstanding matriculating students from Nigerian public universities with a total of ₦35 million in recognition of their exceptional academic performance.
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The beneficiaries, who emerged as the top matriculating students from the 2025 admission exercise, each received ₦5 million at the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards held on Tuesday at the Civic Centre, Lagos.
The award recognised the best-performing admitted candidates from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, as well as one outstanding student from the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group for persons with disabilities.
According to the organisers, the recipients were selected through a rigorous merit-based process that assessed their performances in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), and their respective post-UTME or institutional screening exercises.
The seven award recipients are Orzekor Godwin, a Software Engineering student at the Federal University of Technology, Minna; Vincent Daniel, a Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Maiduguri; Luka Miendwas, a Software Engineering student at the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia; Joshua Chidiebere, a Software Engineering student at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri; James Victor, a Medicine and Surgery student at the University of Uyo; Okeke Christian, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Lagos; and Ogunsua-Dixon Tijesuni, a Mass Communication student at the University of Lagos.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, represented by his aide, Dr. Ismaila Adiatu, said the Federal Government remains committed to promoting an education system that rewards excellence, hard work and integrity.
He noted that recognising exceptional students is essential to producing graduates capable of competing on the global stage and driving national development.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, described the initiative as a landmark programme because it rewards students who not only performed well in the UTME but also met all admission requirements to secure places in Nigerian universities.
According to him, the award goes beyond celebrating high UTME scores by recognising candidates whose overall academic performance, including their SSCE and post-UTME results, earned them admission.
“There are many candidates with excellent UTME scores who are not eventually admitted because they do not meet other admission requirements. This initiative celebrates students who successfully gained admission based on their overall academic excellence, and that is what makes it unique,” Oloyede said.
Managing Director of Rite Foods Limited, Saleem Adegunwa, announced that the company would sustain the initiative by committing ₦35 million annually to reward outstanding matriculating students across Nigeria.
He said the programme is designed to encourage academic excellence, inspire students to pursue educational success and demonstrate that hard work and discipline deserve recognition.
Adegunwa added that the transparent selection process, coordinated by JAMB, ensured that only the most deserving candidates emerged as winners based on their aggregate academic performance.
He noted that beyond rewarding excellence, the initiative seeks to motivate more young Nigerians to strive for academic distinction while supporting exceptional students as they begin their university education.
The maiden award ceremony attracted senior government officials, education stakeholders, university administrators, students and industry leaders, many of whom described the partnership between JAMB and Rite Foods as a significant step towards promoting meritocracy and strengthening the culture of academic excellence in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
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