The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued an order prohibiting the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from implementing its recent policy requiring a minimum admissible age of 16 years for university admissions in the country, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed against the board.
JAMB said on October 16 that only candidates who will be 16 years old by August 2025 would be accepted to tertiary institutions.
This order was a follow-up to the Ministry of Education’s new policy, which established 18 years as the minimum age for entrance to postsecondary institutions.
However, JAMB issued an exception for students seeking admission to the 2024/2025 session.
Dissatisfied with JAMB’s instruction, John Aikpokpo-Martins, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Warri branch, sued the admissions body.
In a complaint entitled W/311/FHR/2021, the lone applicant, Aikpokpo-Martins (for and on behalf of all candidates born between September 1st and December 31st, 2009, who wrote and passed JAMB exams in 2024), sued JAMB and Edwin Clark University as the first and second respondents, respectively.
In a verdict issued on Thursday, Justice Anthony Akpovi granted all of the applicant’s requests, as confirmed by a Certified True Copy (CTC) obtained by Chronicle NG.
The applicant had sought a court order restraining the respondents from taking further action on and/or carrying out the directives contained in the first respondent’s circular dated October 16, 2024 and captioned “Admission of candidates with a minimum admissible age of 16 years” as signed by Mohammed A. Babaji to all Nigerian universities pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.
The applicant also prayed the court to issue “an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents from withdrawing the admission given to Angel Aikpokpo Martins and/or restricting her rights and privileges and/or preventing her access to school and all educational facilities of the 2nd respondent institution as a student pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.”
In his ruling, Justice Olotu said, “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 the 2nd respondent, and the effect is that the 1st respondent’s circular to Vice Chancellors, Provost, Rectors dated 16/10/24 Ref: JAMB/ADMS/139/V.
“111 is put in abeyance and on hold, and the status quo to be maintained is the admission list prior to this circular pending the hearing of the originating motion dated and filed 24/10/24. Reliefs 3(a) and (b) are hereby granted for substituted service by courier service as prayed. Relief 4 for accelerated hearing is also granted.”
