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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.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six other outstanding underage candidates in the examination from the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina.
Alausa said the successful candidates emerged after a rigorous screening process designed to determine whether exceptionally gifted children possessed the academic ability and emotional maturity required 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 test were below the minimum admission age of 16.
He explained that underage candidates seeking an exemption from the age requirement had to score at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME, equivalent to 80 per cent.
They were also required to score at least 80 per cent in their post-UTME examinations, meet the 80 per cent threshold in the assessment of their O-level results and pass a further screening to establish their psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education.
Alausa said only 391 underage candidates scored 320 or above in the UTME, with further assessments reducing the number that qualified 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 students, adding that the government had a responsibility to identify and nurture exceptional talents capable of developing solutions to Nigeria’s challenges and those of the wider world.
Alausa stressed that the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to frustrate gifted children or deny them opportunities to progress academically. Rather, he said, it was designed to ensure that younger candidates were sufficiently mature to cope with university life.
He said feedback from the screening exercise had been encouraging, particularly regarding the candidates’ confidence, intellectual ability and responses to questions designed to assess their readiness for higher education.
The minister maintained that outstanding examination results alone were insufficient grounds for early admission, as university education also required emotional stability and the ability to navigate social and intellectual challenges.
He urged the successful candidates to regard their abilities as a responsibility to society, rather than merely an opportunity for early admission and personal advancement.
“You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations,” he said.
Alausa linked the recognition of gifted young Nigerians to the country’s development prospects, describing its youthful population as a major resource that must be properly educated and harnessed.
He put Nigeria’s population at an estimated 220 million, with an average age of 18.5 years, adding that about 70 per cent of the population was below 30.
The minister said the Federal Government’s education reforms were aimed at expanding opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthening the country’s capacity to translate their potential into innovations that could improve lives.
He congratulated the candidates on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education, expressing confidence that their abilities could produce breakthroughs benefiting millions of people.
The eight recognised candidates, including the two highest scorers in the 2026 UTME, received plaques and certificates from the minister.
Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin emerged as the highest-scoring candidate with 372 marks, while Enwere Kingsley Ikenna followed with 370.
