The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Wednesday has screened 176 exceptionally brilliant underage candidates who scored high marks in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The screening, which took place simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri, was organised to assess candidates below the age of 16 who excelled in the 2025 UTME and are being considered for special admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Speaking during the exercise in Abuja, the Chairman of the Abuja Screening Centre and former Minister of Sports, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the assessment. He said the process was handled by a team of experts set up by the examination body.
On the screening procedure, Adedoja explained that the candidates underwent multiple stages — a written test, followed by a face-to-face interview.
“They did the first paper, which took about 20 minutes, and after that, the papers were marked. They then proceeded to the second and third sessions before the face-to-face interaction,” he said.
Adedoja disclosed that 22 candidates participated in the Abuja centre, while 176 were screened nationwide. He added that the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, would announce when the results of the screening would be released.
Also speaking, the Senator representing Katsina South and Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Sen. Mohammed Muntari Dandutse, commended JAMB for creating a platform for talented underage candidates to showcase 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 important to assess their maturity and focus because admitting underage students who are not ready can be counterproductive. This process helps identify real talents that can contribute to national development,” Dandutse said.
He also reaffirmed the National Assembly’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s education policies and applauded JAMB for maintaining transparency and consistency in its examinations.
In his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, Hon. Oboku Oforji, who also monitored the exercise, lauded the candidates’ performance, noting that it reflects Nigeria’s competitiveness in education across Africa.
“For these underage students to perform exceptionally well shows how far Nigeria has come in education. We are proud of JAMB and urge them to do more,” he said.
At the Owerri centre, Chairman of the screening panel and Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, said 38 out of 43 shortlisted candidates participated. He expressed satisfaction with the candidates’ conduct and assured that the process adhered strictly to JAMB’s guidelines.
The under-16 candidates at the Owerri centre were drawn from the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones.
In Nigeria, the official age for university admission is 18, though the national policy allows entry from 16.
According to JAMB records, 41,027 candidates applied under the “exceptionally brilliant underage” category for the 2025 UTME. Out of these, 599 scored 80 percent and above, but only 176 met all required benchmarks in their O-Level and Post-UTME results to qualify for final screening.
The screening panels comprised representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), vice-chancellors, and officials from the Gifted Education Programme, among others.