The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday said it will begin the screening of over 500 exceptional candidates below 16 years of age seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session between September 22 and 26.
According to JAMB, the process will be handled by a special technical committee established specifically for this purpose. Screening will be conducted at three designated centres: Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri in Imo State.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said these were among the resolutions reached during yesterday’s virtual meeting of the board.
He said Lagos will host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66.
Prof. Oloyede noted that of the 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over 40,000 did not meet the required benchmark. The screening aims to identify truly exceptional and well-prepared candidates who may be considered for admission despite being under the official minimum age of 16.
During the meeting, a sub-committee chaired by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja—a former Minister of Sports and a prominent expert in special education—presented its report on the screening procedure. According to the report, candidates will undergo subject-specific assessments followed by brief oral interviews.
The committee also resolved to request the result details from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to verify the eligibility of some shortlisted candidates before they appear for the interviews.
Participants at the virtual meeting included heads of tertiary institutions, government agencies, civil society representatives, members of the Nigerian Academy of Education,
Of the 1.955 million candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME nationwide, 599 candidates scored above 300 but were under the age of 16, prompting JAMB to initiate this special screening.
The initiative aligns with the Federal Ministry of Education’s policy stipulating 16 years as the minimum age for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
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