Alex Otti Pledges to Support JAMB Top Scorer’s Education

• Abia State Governor Alex Otti has pledged to support the education of Master Michael Offorkaile, the Abia-born student who scored 367 in the 2026 UTME…

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has pledged to support the education of Abia-born Master Michael Offorkaile, who scored 367 in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), making him the fifth-highest scorer in Nigeria.

Otti made the announcement on Monday while receiving the outstanding student, his parents, and the management of Grundtvig International Secondary School, Oba, Anambra State, at the Government House in Umuahia.

Congratulating Offorkaile on the remarkable feat, the governor said his administration would continue to recognise and reward excellence, stressing that outstanding achievements should never go unnoticed.

“We don’t take this for granted. The whole idea is to celebrate our own when they do well. As a government founded on meritocracy, we will not stop celebrating people who do well,” Otti said.

He encouraged the teenager to remain focused on his studies, describing the UTME success as only the beginning of a much bigger academic journey.

“The journey has just started. JAMB is the little roadblock you have to go through before starting a degree programme. Having been celebrated for this achievement, we expect you to do even better at the university,” he added.

The governor directed the Commissioner for Tertiary Education to work out the details of the state’s support for the student. He also instructed his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Dodoh Okafor, to liaise with Offorkaile’s parents to facilitate the process.

According to Otti, the state’s support is intended not only to reward academic excellence but also to inspire other young people in Abia to strive for similar success.

Introducing the student, the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Prof. Uche Emeh Uche, disclosed that the governor had personally directed her to locate Offorkaile and bring him to the state for official recognition following his outstanding UTME performance.

The Principal of Grundtvig International Secondary School, Mr Ige Bello, alongside Offorkaile’s father, Mr Odinaka Offorkaile from Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, said the achievement came as no surprise, describing the teenager as a consistently brilliant student.

They commended Governor Otti for recognising academic excellence and applauded his administration’s commitment to improving education in the state.

In his response, Michael Offorkaile expressed gratitude to the governor for the honour, describing Otti as a transformational leader and a source of inspiration.

“I want to thank you for what you have done for me, my family, and my school today. I will continue to do my best, keep performing, and keep encouraging students from Abia and across Nigeria,” he said.