Don’t falsify age for admission seekers, Oloyede warns parents

The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has warned parents of admission seekers into Nigerian universities against falsifying the age of their children and wards to meet the 18-year minimum age requirement.

Oloyede cautioned that such actions could push the children into corruption and crime.

He issued this warning while speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of the Academic and Research Excellence Award to renowned Ilorin-based Professor of Practice, Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN), by Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

According to Oloyede, the decision of OAU’s management to celebrate the awardee and the 2024 OAU university stars (scholars) was the right approach to promoting scholarship and excellence.

“My takeaway from this event is that universities have the potential for development, and part of that development is to recognize the tools for growth and to encourage progress,” he said.

“Obafemi Awolowo University has identified brilliance, and it is customary for universities worldwide to tag brilliant students as university scholars, encouraging them to aspire to replace the current academics.

“They are planning for the future, and by recognizing Yusuf Olaolu Ali, they are encouraging mentors so that they can mentor others, and those they mentor can, in turn, mentor others. It’s a way of increasing our capacity to develop those who will develop the nation.”

On the age limit issue, the JAMB Registrar noted that this year, the minimum age is 16, not 18.

He added that people are cutting corners, and instead of addressing the issue, excuses are often made.