JAMB, Rite Foods to reward 7 undergraduates with N35m for academic excellence

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in collaboration with Rite Foods Limited, will on Tuesday honour seven outstanding Nigerian undergraduates with a total of N35 million in recognition of their exceptional academic achievements during the 2025 admission exercise.

The beneficiaries, who emerged as the highest-performing admitted candidates across the country’s six geopolitical zones and the top-performing candidate living with a disability, will each receive N5 million at the maiden edition of the Academic Excellence Recognition Award Ceremony in Lagos.

According to JAMB, the initiative underscores the shared commitment of the Board and Rite Foods to promoting merit, rewarding excellence and encouraging young Nigerians to strive for academic distinction.

The Board explained that the awardees were selected through a rigorous, transparent and merit-based process, following outstanding performances in both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Post-UTME or institutional screening exercises conducted by their respective universities.

The award recipients are drawn from the University of Lagos (South-West), University of Uyo (South-South), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (South-East), Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia (North-West), University of Maiduguri (North-East), and the Federal University of Technology, Minna (North-Central).

JAMB also disclosed that the recipient of the award for the highest-performing candidate living with a disability is from the University of Lagos, making the institution the only university to produce two awardees at the inaugural ceremony.

Speaking ahead of the event, JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the awards were designed to celebrate exceptional academic performance while reinforcing the culture of merit and excellence in Nigeria’s education sector.

He said the initiative reflects the shared resolve of JAMB and Rite Foods to reward hard work, inspire educational achievement and encourage students across the country to pursue excellence.

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“The awardees emerged through a rigorous, transparent and merit-based selection process coordinated by JAMB to ensure that only the most deserving candidates are recognised,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin added that the recognition would motivate students nationwide by demonstrating that dedication, discipline and academic excellence attract national recognition and support.

The ceremony is expected to attract more than 300 distinguished guests from government, academia, regulatory agencies, the corporate sector and the wider education community.

Among the expected dignitaries are the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, vice-chancellors of the award-winning universities and other universities in Lagos State, as well as chief executives of key education regulatory bodies, including the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).