The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has provided clarity on the exclusion of Miss Kareem Kaamilah Omolarami, an underage candidate who scored 371 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), from the final stage of its special admission screening exercise.
The Board explained that her disqualification followed an official report from Nile University of Nigeria, her institution of choice, which indicated that she was absent during the university’s internal screening. The screening is the third stage of the four-level process required for underage candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
“Her non-inclusion was in complete conformity with established procedures,” JAMB said in a statement signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin. The Board added that her reported absence automatically made her ineligible for the final evaluation conducted by a JAMB-appointed panel.
The final screening took place on Wednesday, October 8, and Thursday, October 9, 2025. It was conducted by a panel comprising vice chancellors, civil society representatives, education experts, and other stakeholders, tasked with assessing qualified underage candidates based on academic and cognitive benchmarks.
JAMB maintained that the decision was not a result of administrative oversight or bias, but was strictly based on information officially submitted by the admitting institution.
However, sources close to the candidate allege that Nile University did not schedule any internal screening or post-UTME exercise, raising concerns about the validity of the claim that she was absent.
Miss Kareem, who ranked among the highest scorers nationwide with 371 in the UTME, applied to study Mechatronics Engineering at Nile University. Her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result included six A grades and two B grades. Following the submission and verification of her credentials, the university reportedly offered her provisional admission with a tuition discount.
As an underage candidate, she was required to undergo a special four-stage screening process introduced by JAMB to identify and assess exceptional applicants below the minimum admission age. The process includes:
1. A minimum UTME score of 320
2. At least 80 percent in WASSCE
3. A minimum of 80 percent in the university’s internal screening
4. Final assessment by a JAMB panel
JAMB revealed that Miss Kareem submitted a formal complaint through its support platform on Tuesday, October 7, disputing her exclusion and alleging that the university failed to conduct the required screening before labelling her as absent.
In response, the Board said it had requested a formal explanation from Nile University and was awaiting the institution’s report to carry out an evidence-based review of the situation.
“JAMB’s role is strictly guided by verified information submitted by admitting institutions,” the statement said, reaffirming that under the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), universities maintain the authority to recommend eligible candidates for admission.
The Board further advised candidates to make use of its internal communication channels for resolving complaints and warned against prematurely resorting to the media, which it said could complicate the resolution process.
Meanwhile, JAMB confirmed that the results of 84 underage candidates who successfully completed all four stages of the screening are currently being processed and will be forwarded to their respective institutions for final admission decisions.
