The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, says only 108 of approximately 39,000 underage candidates who took the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) passed the Federal Government’s screening for possible admission into tertiary institutions.
Alausa disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday while receiving the two highest-scoring candidates and six other top-performing underage candidates in the 2026 UTME.
The candidates were presented to the minister by Segun Aina, registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Alausa said the successful candidates emerged from a rigorous selection process that assessed their academic performance and psychological, emotional and intellectual readiness for university education.
He explained that the multi-stage screening was designed to ensure that exceptionally gifted children could access tertiary education without compromising their preparedness for its demands.
According to the minister, 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 sat the examination.
Approximately 39,000 of those who took the examination were below the stipulated minimum admission age of 16.
Alausa said 391 underage candidates scored at least 320 in the UTME, but further assessments reduced the number considered eligible for admission to 108.
He described the successful candidates as exceptionally gifted, noting that they accounted for approximately 0.005 per cent of those who sat the examination.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the candidates.
“You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations.”
He said the government had a responsibility to identify and nurture exceptional talents into innovators capable of developing solutions to challenges facing Nigeria and the wider world.
The minister maintained that the minimum admission age of 16 was not intended to hinder academically gifted children or deny them opportunities to advance. Rather, he said, the policy was designed to ensure that younger candidates had the maturity needed to cope with university life.
He added that academic excellence alone was insufficient to determine admission eligibility, as tertiary education also required emotional stability and the ability to navigate social and intellectual challenges.
Alausa urged the successful candidates to regard their abilities as a responsibility to society rather than simply an opportunity for early admission and personal advancement.
Highlighting the connection between nurturing exceptional young talents and national development, the minister described Nigeria’s youthful population as a major resource that must be properly educated and harnessed.
He estimated Nigeria’s population at 220 million, with an average age of 18.5 years, adding that approximately 70 per cent of the population was below 30.
Alausa said the Federal Government’s education reforms were aimed at expanding opportunities for young Nigerians and strengthening the country’s capacity to turn their potential into innovations and practical solutions that improve lives.
He congratulated the candidates on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the ministry, expressing confidence that their abilities could lead to breakthroughs that would benefit millions of people.
At the event, the eight recognised candidates, including the two highest scorers in the 2026 UTME, received plaques and certificates from the minister.
Daniella Owoeye emerged as the examination’s highest-scoring candidate with 372 marks, followed by Enwere Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370.
In May, Owoeye told TheCable that she used artificial intelligence (AI) to summarise notes and participated in several WhatsApp study groups while preparing for the 2026 UTME.