The Federal Government has officially set 16 years as the minimum age for admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, declaring the policy non-negotiable. The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during the 2025 policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) held in Abuja on Tuesday.
Dr. Alausa explained that the age threshold was carefully chosen to strike a balance between cognitive development and academic readiness. “This policy decision reflects a balance between cognitive maturity and academic preparedness. Sixteen years is non-negotiable,” he said.
While acknowledging that exceptions may be made for exceptionally gifted children who have progressed through their education more quickly, the minister emphasized that such exceptions must be well-documented and justified. He cautioned institutions against manipulating age records to bypass the rule, warning that violators would face strict sanctions.
In addition to the age policy, the minister unveiled a series of new measures aimed at combating examination malpractice, which he described as a growing cancer that threatens the credibility of Nigeria’s education system. To address this, the Federal Ministry of Education will establish a Central Examination Malpractice Unit, chaired by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan.
This unit will serve as a national hub for tracking, documenting, and reporting cases of exam malpractice across all levels of education. “This central database will be accessible to all institutions. It is our hope that this will reduce the tendency to engage in malpractices, as offenders will be appropriately tried under the Exam Malpractices Act,” Alausa stated.
To strengthen the fight further, he announced that the government would support the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) in transitioning to computer-based testing. According to him, this digital shift is expected to drastically reduce opportunities for cheating and reinforce merit-based evaluation in Nigeria’s examination system.
