The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has screened 176 exceptional underage candidates who scored high marks in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as part of the conditions for granting them admission into universities.

Following the adoption of the 16 years age limit at the last JAMB admission policy meeting, the Registrar of the Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, assembled a team of experts to further screen the underage candidates who scored 320 and above in the 2025 UTME.
The exercise, designed to ensure that only outstanding and well-prepared candidates below the age of 16 are considered for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session, was conducted by experts put together by the examination body.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Chairman of the Abuja Centre for the screening of under-16 candidates, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, expressed satisfaction with the smooth conduct of the exercise, which was also held simultaneously in Owerri and Lagos.

On the screening procedure, Adedoja explained that candidates first sat for a written examination before proceeding to face-to-face interviews.

“They did the first paper which took like 20 minutes and after that the papers were marked and they proceeded to the second session and after that the third one and we will have a face-to-face interaction with them,” he said.

The former Minister of Sports noted that 22 candidates participated in the Abuja Centre, while 176 candidates took part nationwide.

“Twenty-two candidates are here in Abuja Centre, and nationwide it is 176,” he said, adding that the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, would determine when the results of the screening would be released.

Also speaking after monitoring the exercise, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, commended JAMB for providing a platform for talented underage candidates to demonstrate their abilities.

“Now they are giving leverage to the underage so that they can go to the universities based on their ability to pass these exams.

“It is very important for them (underage) to be assessed because of the maturity of focus… because if you take an underage to go to the university and he doesn’t perform, it is a useless venture. So it is better that the exam is carried out so that the best talent can be selected and it will pave the way for the development of this country,” the lawmaker, who represents Katsina South Senatorial District, said.

Dandutse also reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s education policies aimed at national development, while commending JAMB for its consistency and transparency.

“I want to sincerely commend the leadership of JAMB for their milestone to make sure that this exam is written across the country,” he said.

On his part, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, Hon. Oboku Oforji, who also monitored the exercise in Abuja, lauded the students for their outstanding performance, noting that it reflects Nigeria’s competitiveness in education across Africa.

“Because for the underage to have performed exceptionally well, it tells how we are doing in education as of today. And we are very proud of the agency – JAMB – and we want to encourage them to do more. Even though we believe that with what we sighted, more is supposed to be encouraged,” Oforji, who was joined by his committee members, said.