The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, or JAMB, has registered over 700,000 students for forthcoming examinations.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar, told this to journalists on Friday after reviewing some registered Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers in Lagos.
Mr Oloyede reported that over 700,000 candidates had registered, including over 11,000 underage applicants.
“As of today, we have registered 779,714 candidates. This is the second week and the tenth day of registration,” he said.
He added, “At this moment, the figure stands at 780,202, with 11,512 underage applicants. Today alone, 443 underage candidates were registered.”
According to him, JAMB introduced a policy this year to accommodate exceptionally gifted underage candidates.
“The policy maintains the minimum age of 16, as in 2024, but allows exceptions for highly gifted underage candidates.
“Underage candidates are those below 16 but exceptionally brilliant, typically aged 13 to 14,” he added.
He noted that Nigeria has misused this concept, but truly exceptional candidates should not be excluded.
“We identify a few such individuals, perhaps 30 to 50 across the country,” he said.
He encouraged exceptionally gifted underage candidates to register.
“If you believe you have something exceptional, you should register,” he stated.
