The Delta State High Court in Warri has issued a temporary order preventing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from enforcing its recent policy, which requires students to be at least 16 years old by August 2025 to qualify for university admission in Nigeria. This injunction will remain until the court hears a motion filed against the board by John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former Nigerian Bar Association chairman from Warri.
This policy was initially implemented in alignment with the Ministry of Education’s recent adoption of 18 years as the recommended minimum age for tertiary education. However, Aikpokpo-Martins filed a lawsuit challenging JAMB’s directive on behalf of candidates born between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, who took and passed the 2024 JAMB exams. The suit names JAMB and Edwin Clark University as respondents.
Aikpokpo-Martins seeks an interim order preventing JAMB from implementing its age requirement policy, which would affect his daughter, Angel Aikpokpo-Martins, and other similarly aged students. He argued that the new rule would limit these students’ right to access educational facilities and potentially revoke their admissions.
Justice Olotu ruled in favor of granting temporary reliefs to protect the rights of these students, stating, “Reliefs 1 and 2 are hereby granted to preserve and protect the rights of every Nigerian child born between the 1st of September 2009 and the 31st of December 2009 who passed JAMB exams in 2024 to remain duly admitted.” This order applies to all Nigerian universities, including Edwin Clark University.
JAMB, while issuing the new age directive, made a provision for an exception for students in the 2024/2025 academic session, although the court’s ruling will now determine the future applicability of this age policy. The final decision on the matter will be made following further court hearings.
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