The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced on Monday that 4,996 underage candidates have registered for the 2025/2026 UTME, with expectations that the number will surpass 5,000 by the end of the day.
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this during an interview in Ilorin, Kwara State, after inspecting Computer-Based Test centres. He expressed concern over the rising trend, attributing it to some parents’ misguided ambitions to boost their children’s profiles. “It’s alarming to see such high numbers so early in the registration period,” he said.
To address this issue, JAMB will require underaged candidates claiming exceptional circumstances to undergo additional examinations and sign an indemnity form, with sanctions imposed if their claims are found to be false. Prof. Oloyede noted that historical data shows over 70% of underaged candidates fail to build successful careers.
As of Monday afternoon, a total of 420,674 candidates have registered for the UTME, with 124,632 enrolled for the mock exam. In related developments, six individuals involved in exam malpractice have been permanently banned from future exams, and a senior university official is under prosecution for exam-related crimes.
