Only 108 out of about 39,000 underage candidates who sat the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have met the Federal Government’s requirements for possible admission into tertiary institutions.
Gatekeepers News reports that Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six outstanding underage candidates presented by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Segun Aina.
Alausa said the successful candidates emerged after a multi-stage screening exercise designed to assess their academic performance and psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education.
According to the minister, 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 sat the examination. About 39,000 of those who took the examination were below the prescribed minimum admission age of 16.
He explained that underage candidates seeking consideration for admission were required to score at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME, representing 80 per cent.
They were also required to obtain at least 80 per cent in their post-UTME examinations, meet the stipulated threshold in the assessment of their O’level results and pass a further screening to determine their readiness for higher education.
Alausa disclosed that only 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME, while subsequent assessments reduced the number eligible for possible admission to 108.
He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, noting that they represented approximately 0.005 per cent of those who sat the examination.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the candidates.
He added, “You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations.”
Alausa said the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to frustrate academically gifted children or prevent them from advancing their education, but to ensure that younger candidates possessed the maturity required to cope with university life.
He maintained that outstanding examination results alone were insufficient to determine readiness for tertiary education, noting that university life also required emotional stability and the ability to navigate social and intellectual challenges.
The minister urged the successful candidates to regard their abilities as a responsibility to society and use their talents to develop solutions to challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
At the event, the eight recognised candidates, including the two highest scorers in the 2026 UTME, received plaques and certificates.
Daniella Owoeye Jesudunsin emerged as the highest-scoring candidate with 372 marks, followed by Enwere Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370.
Alausa congratulated the candidates on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education, expressing confidence that their abilities could contribute to national development.
