JUST IN: Nigerian minister directs JAMB, institutions not to admit candidates below 18 years

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, a professor, has directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Nigerian tertiary institutions to admit only candidates who are 18 years and above into the tertiary institutions.

The minister gave the directive in his address at the ongoing 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Abuja on Thursday.

The policy meeting is a forum of critical stakeholders in the admission processes into tertiary institutions in the country including university vice-chancellors and registrars, rectors and registrars of polytechnics, provosts, and registrars of colleges of education, JAMB registrar and other officials of the examination body, among principal officers of monotechnics.

“JAMB is hereby instructed from admission this year to admit only eligible students. That is those who have attained 18 years by our laws,” the minister said as the hall erupted with grumbling.

Responding to the ominous grumbling in the hall, the minister insisted that his position was backed by Nigeria’s law guiding admissions into tertiary institutions. He said it shouldn’t require a statement from him for that to be taken into consideration by admission bodies.

“Our laws require students to be in school from six years —Yes, there are those who do that from five—, and remain in primary school for six years, basic education for three years, and secondary school for three years… It doesn’t require a statement of the minister… we are only restating what is in the law,” he added.

Details later…