- JAMB reports nearly 5,000 underage candidates registered for the 2025/2026 UTME within five days, raising concerns about their readiness
- JAMB will conduct additional exams for candidates claiming exceptional status and has banned six individuals for exam malpractice
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has recorded 4,996 underaged candidates for the 2025/2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, revealed this on Monday while speaking with journalists after inspecting some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Expressing concern over the rising number, Oloyede stated, “It’s alarming that just five days into registration, we already have 4,996 underaged candidates. By the end of today, this number will exceed 5,000. While a few may be exceptions, the majority do not meet global standards.”
He attributed the trend to parents who push their children into early education to boost their CVs.
JAMB, he said, will conduct additional exams for candidates with exceptional claims, requiring them to sign an indemnity form agreeing to sanctions if their claims are false.
Oloyede noted that over the past decade, more than 70% of underaged candidates failed to build successful careers.
“Over the last ten years, we’ve tracked underaged candidates, some as young as ten, and about 70% have struggled in their careers,” he added.
As of Monday afternoon, JAMB reported 420,674 registered candidates for the 2025/2026 UTME, with 124,632 opting for the mock exam. The number of candidates taking trial tests without seeking admission stands at 331.
Additionally, six individuals caught in exam malpractice have been permanently banned from JAMB exams. A senior university official is currently being prosecuted for exam-related crimes, with others under investigation.