2025 UTME: JAMB screens 176 underage high scorers as lawmakers hail transparency
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has screened 176 exceptional underage candidates who recorded high scores in the 2025 unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME).
The exercise, held simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri, was designed to evaluate candidates below the age of 16 who excelled in the UTME and met other academic requirements for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
Taoheed Adedoja, chairman of the Abuja screening centre, said the process involved a written test and face-to-face interviews to assess candidates’ readiness and intellectual maturity.
“They did the first paper which took about 20 minutes. After the papers were marked, they proceeded to the next sessions, including face-to-face interactions,” said Adedoja, a former minister of sports.
He disclosed that 22 candidates were screened in Abuja, while 176 participated nationwide, adding that Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, would decide when the results would be released.
Mohammed Dandutse, chairman of the senate committee on tertiary institutions and TETFund, who monitored the exercise, praised JAMB for “creating a platform that recognises and nurtures exceptional young minds.”
“It’s important to assess the maturity of these underage candidates because if they go to university unprepared, it becomes counterproductive. This screening ensures that only the best is selected,” he said.
Dandutse also reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s education reforms, commending JAMB’s consistency and transparency.
Also, Oboku Oforji, chairman of the house committee on basic examination bodies, lauded the candidates for their performance and described the exercise as a reflection of Nigeria’s growing competitiveness in education across Africa.
“For these underage students to perform so well shows that our education system is producing talent to be proud of. JAMB deserves commendation for sustaining excellence,” Oforji said.
At the Owerri centre, 38 out of 43 shortlisted candidates participated. Paulinus Okwelle, executive secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and chairman of the centre, said the process followed JAMB’s guidelines strictly and commended the candidates for their orderly conduct.
According to JAMB, 41,027 candidates applied under the “exceptionally brilliant underage” category for the 2025 UTME. Out of this number, 599 scored 80 percent and above, but only 176 met all academic benchmarks — including O-Level and post-UTME results — and qualified for final screening.
The screening panels included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), vice-chancellors, and the Gifted Education Programme.
Although Nigeria’s policy stipulates 18 as the official age for university admission, candidates aged 16 and above may be considered in exceptional cases.
