By Okeke Eunice
The Delta State High Court in Warri has ordered the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to pause its new policy setting 16 years as the minimum age for university admission until a pending case against the policy is resolved.
On October 16, JAMB announced that only candidates who turn 16 by August 2025 would be eligible for admission to higher institutions.
This rule aligns with a new education ministry policy setting 18 as the minimum admission age for tertiary institutions.
However, JAMB has made an exception for students applying for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Unhappy with JAMB’s directive, John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Warri branch, took the admission board to court.
Aikpokpo-Martins, acting on behalf of all candidates born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who passed the 2024 JAMB exams, filed a lawsuit (marked W/311/FHR/2021) against JAMB and Edwin Clark University as the 1st and 2nd respondents, respectively.
In a ruling issued on Thursday, Justice Anthony Akpovi approved all the requests made by the applicant, as verified by a Certified True Copy (CTC) obtained by a national television on Sunday.
The applicant requested a court order to prevent the respondents from taking further action or enforcing the directives in the circular issued by the 1st respondent on October 16, 2024. This circular, titled “Admission of candidates with minimum admissible age of 16 years” and signed by Mohammed A. Babaji, was addressed to all Nigerian universities. The applicant asked the court to hold off on this directive until the main motion is resolved.
Additionally, the applicant asked the court for an interim order to stop the respondents from withdrawing Angel Aikpokpo Martins’ admission or restricting her rights, privileges, or access to the 2nd respondent institution’s educational facilities as a student until the main motion is decided.
In his ruling, Justice Olotu granted the first two reliefs, stating that they protect the rights of all Nigerian students born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who passed the 2024 JAMB exams, ensuring they remain admitted by the 1st respondent at all Nigerian universities, including the 2nd respondent.
This decision puts the 1st respondent’s circular on hold, maintaining the admissions list as it was before the circular until the hearing of the main motion. Reliefs 3(a) and (b) for substituted service via courier were also granted, along with relief 4 for an expedited hearing.