A Delta State High Court in Warri has granted an order preventing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from enforcing its new policy that mandates a minimum age of 16 years for university admissions, pending further legal proceedings.
On October 16, JAMB announced that only candidates who turn 16 by August 2025 would be eligible for admission into tertiary institutions.
This policy was a response to the Ministry of Education’s directive establishing 18 years as the minimum age for entering postsecondary education.
In a legal challenge led by John Aikpokpo-Martins, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Warri branch, the court was petitioned to stop JAMB’s restrictions on behalf of candidates born between September 1 and December 31, 2009, who had successfully passed their JAMB examinations in 2024.
Justice Anthony Akpovi ruled in favor of the applicant, granting a series of reliefs aimed at protecting the rights of eligible students.
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“The rights of every Nigerian child born from September 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009, who wrote and passed the JAMB exams in 2024 must be preserved,” the judge stated.
The ruling specifically ordered JAMB to maintain the admissions status quo prior to the October 16 circular, effectively allowing underage candidates to remain admitted as students at their respective institutions.
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