By Kwin Israel, The Sight News
The Federal Government has identified 108 exceptionally gifted candidates below the age of 16 who qualified for consideration for admission into tertiary institutions following a rigorous assessment of their academic performance, maturity and psychological readiness.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while receiving some of the outstanding candidates, including the two highest-performing candidates in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing the young students as exceptional talents capable of driving innovation and transforming Nigeria’s future.
Dr. Alausa said the candidates represent a rare pool of intellectual talent whose abilities must be identified, nurtured and developed to provide solutions to national and global challenges.
“You are the geniuses in our society,” the minister told the students, adding that they had the potential to develop innovations that would benefit millions of people in Nigeria and across the world.
He explained that although the government maintains a stringent policy restricting admission into tertiary institutions for candidates below the age of 16, exceptional students could be identified through a rigorous screening process designed to establish their academic competence and readiness for higher education.
According to the minister, 2,244,149 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME, while 2,174,396 sat for the examination. Of these, approximately 39,000 were below the age of 16.
He said the government established demanding eligibility criteria for the underage candidates, including a minimum UTME score of 80 per cent, equivalent to 320 out of 400, at least 80 per cent in the post-UTME examination, strong O’level results and a screening exercise to assess their emotional and psychological maturity.
The minister noted that the screening process was necessary to ensure that only candidates capable of coping with the demands of tertiary education were considered. He added that the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina, had expressed admiration for the students’ intellectual depth, confidence and responses during the assessment.
The minister urged the successful candidates not to view university education merely as an opportunity to obtain degrees, but as a platform to develop ideas, create solutions and contribute to national development.
He also highlighted the importance of young people to Nigeria’s future, noting that the country’s youthful population makes investment in education, talent development and innovation particularly critical.
Dr. Alausa commended President Bola Tinubu for pursuing reforms he said were designed to improve opportunities for younger generations, assuring the students that their talents and contributions would be important to the country’s progress.
He congratulated the candidates on behalf of the President, the Federal Ministry of Education and Nigerians, expressing confidence that they would distinguish themselves in their respective institutions and develop innovations with far-reaching impact.
Meanwhile, the two highest-performing candidates in the 2026 UTME also attributed their achievements to perseverance, prayer and the support of their families and teachers, while encouraging other students to remain committed to their education.
The overall highest-scoring candidate, Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin, who scored 372, described the journey to academic success as challenging but rewarding, expressing gratitude to God that the efforts invested in preparation for the examination had paid off.
Addressing the perception among some young people that education is not worthwhile, she argued that schooling remains a pathway to opportunity, particularly for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Education is not a scam. It actually helps even people from really poor backgrounds,” she said, noting that education had helped many Nigerians rise above difficult circumstances and achieve success.
Also , the second-highest-performing candidate, Kingsley Ikenna, who scored 370, described the achievement as unexpected, acknowledging the contributions of his mother and teachers, as well as the importance of prayer and encouragement.
He expressed the belief that other students could achieve similar success if provided with the right guidance and support.
