The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified why Kareem Kaamilah Omolarami, an underage candidate who scored 371 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), was excluded from the final vetting process for minors.
JAMB explained that the Federal Ministry of Education sets 16 as the minimum age for entry into tertiary institutions to ensure candidates have the necessary mental and emotional maturity for higher education.
In 2025, JAMB introduced a special vetting procedure to accommodate exceptional candidates under 16 who demonstrate outstanding academic performance.
Of the 41,027 underage candidates who sat the UTME under this special category, only 176 were deemed eligible to proceed to the final assessment, which includes a written test and a face-to-face interview.
The multi-stage screening took place on October 8 and 9, following an initial assessment conducted between September 22 and 26.
JAMB stated that Omolarami, who applied to Nile University, successfully completed the first two stages of the four-stage vetting process, however, she was reported absent for the university’s internal screening, the third stage, which disqualified her from advancing to the final JAMB-administered assessment.
The board outlined that the vetting process requires candidates to meet specific criteria at each stage: a minimum UTME score of 320, at least 80 per cent in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), a university internal screening score of 80 per cent, and a final JAMB-administered screening score of 80 per cent, adding that dvancement to each subsequent stage depends on meeting the previous thresholds.
"This report was formally transmitted to the board by the institution, thereby rendering her ineligible to participate in the final screening exercise.
"Her non-invitation to the final stage was therefore not due to any administrative oversight, bias, or procedural lapse on the part of the board," JAMB said.
The Board also asserted its commitment to the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), which automates admissions to ensure transparency and minimise human interference.
JAMB stressed that while it regulates and approves admissions, universities recommend candidates for admission based on their internal selection processes.
It further confirmed that the results of 84 successful underage candidates are currently being processed and will soon be forwarded to their respective institutions for final admission.
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