Education Minister Alausa Honors 2026 UTME Top Candidates

At a ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina, honored outstanding candidates from the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Alausa praised the academic excellence of the young candidates, emphasizing their potential as innovators.

Out of 2,174,396 candidates who sat for the examination, only 108 under-16 candidates met the stringent criteria for university admission, which included scoring at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME and passing O’level examinations. Initially, 391 candidates in the under-16 category achieved the required UTME score of 80 percent, but further screening narrowed the number to 108.

Alausa noted that the Federal Government's policy restricts admission to candidates aged 16 and above, but exceptional candidates could be considered. He encouraged the young achievers to focus on developing innovative solutions for societal challenges.