The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) on Thursday unveiled the candidates who scored the highest marks in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Professor Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB Registrar revealed 13 students who scored the highest marks in the 2024 UTME out of the 400 attainable before stakeholders including Mamman Tahir, the Minister of Education, Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provost and others at the 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Abuja.

The meeting was put in place to determine the modality and guidelines for admissions into tertiary institutions for the 2025 academic session.

Premium Times reported that from the list unveiled by Oloyede, three candidates scored 367 marks, the highest score by the participants in the examination.

He added that only 8,401, representing 0.5 per cent of candidates, scored above 300 in the examination while 77,070 others representing 4.2 per cent, scored 250 and above and that 439,974, representing 24 per cent, scored 200 and above.

See the top scorers in 2024 UTME and their scores

Olowu Joseph Oluwasijibomi – 367

Alayande David – 367

Orukpe Joel Ehijele – 367

Emmanuel Jeremiah Jewel -365

Essiet Etini Joshua -365

Ezenwoko Zara Valerie -365

Umoh Joshua Augustine -365

Mamudu Abdulrahman -364

Adeleke Abdulbasit Adekunle -363

Echem Victor Prosper -363

Etute Emmanuel Ehihomen -363

Keke Jedidiah Chidiebube -363

Adesanya Daniel Oluwatimileyin -363

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Prof. Tahir Mamman had earlier at the meeting vowed to enforce a law mandating 18 years admission age for entry into tertiary institutions from 2025.

The minister directed JAMB to admit only students who have attained the age of 18 years into tertiary institutions in its 2025 admission process.

“Information has revealed that the enrolment of underage candidates is inflicting serious damage on the university and the education system, hence, the need for enforcement of extant rules.

“When I was monitoring the just concluded 2024 UTME, I was alarmed at the participation of a large number of obviously under-age candidates in the examination.

“This necessitated my comment on the need to enforce the extant provisions of the educational policies which made provision for nine years of basic education and three years of Senior Secondary Education before entry into tertiary institution.

“It is clear that a child who, as expected is enrolled in basic school at the age of six and having undergone 12 years of education would be around 18 years old when being enrolled in a tertiary institution,” he said.

He bemoaned the surge in applications for immediate requests for a change of age to reflect higher age in anticipation of the imminent enforcement of the age policy.

“This again reflects dangerous games being played with the life and future of innocent children by those expected to nurture them.

“Flowing from this, JAMB is hereby instructed to admit only eligible students’ i.e those who have attained 18 years.

“Universities are advised to avoid recommending unqualified children for admission,” he added.

However, there was uproar during the meeting when the minister handed down the decision of 18 years entry limit for admissions into tertiary institutions.

Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Provost and other Stakeholders at the meeting protested their disagreement on the minister’s pronouncement.

The minister, however, said that the 2024 admission criteria remained as approved, urging institutions to adhere to the laid down requirements for admission processes.

He warned that any Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provost, who infiltrated admissions outside the Central Admissions Processing Systems (CAPS), would henceforth be sanctioned. (NAN)