Court Halts JAMB Age Restriction Policy, Allows Underage Students to Maintain Admissions

The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued a restraining order against the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), stopping the board from implementing its recent directive that sets 16 years as the minimum age for university admissions in Nigeria. This order will be in effect pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed against JAMB.

On October 16, JAMB had announced a new policy requiring candidates to be at least 16 years old by August 2025 to gain admission into tertiary institutions. The policy was in line with the Ministry of Education's directive to adopt 18 years as the minimum age for university entry. However, JAMB made an exception for students applying for the 2024/2025 academic session.

The new age requirement drew criticism from stakeholders, including John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association's Warri branch, who took legal action against JAMB. He filed a lawsuit on behalf of candidates born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who participated in the 2024 JAMB examination. The suit, marked W/311/FHR/2021, named JAMB and Edwin Clark University as the first and second respondents, respectively.

Justice Anthony Akpovi, in his ruling on Thursday, granted all the reliefs sought by Aikpokpo-Martins. According to a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the ruling obtained by Sunday PUNCH, the court ordered JAMB to halt any further actions related to the circular dated October 16, 2024, titled "Admission of Candidates with Minimum Admissible Age of 16 Years," signed by Mohammed A. Babaji.

The applicant had requested an interim injunction preventing the withdrawal of admission offered to Angel Aikpokpo-Martins and restricting her access to educational facilities at Edwin Clark University. Justice Akpovi ruled that the reliefs sought were granted to preserve the rights of all students who fall within the age group in question, allowing them to maintain their admissions.

"Reliefs 1 and 2 are hereby granted to preserve and protect the respondents, which is the right of every Nigerian child born on the 1st of September 2009 to the 31st of December 2009, who wrote and passed JAMB exams in 2024 to remain duly admitted by the 1st respondent as it applies to all Nigerian Universities including 2nd respondent," Justice Akpovi stated.

The court further ordered that the status quo regarding the admission list prior to JAMB's circular must be maintained. Additionally, the judge approved substituted service through courier and granted an accelerated hearing for the case.

The court's decision to suspend the policy has sparked discussions on age requirements for university admissions, raising questions about the balance between academic readiness and age considerations. The originating motion is set for further hearing, where the fate of the policy will be decided.