News
Scrap JAMB Age Limit Admission, Parents Beg FG
Concerned parents in Ekiti State under the aegis of Coalition of Concerned Parents, Students and Stakeholders have appealed to the Federal Government to reverse the age restriction policy for tertiary institutions’ admission seekers in Nigeria.
The concerned parents made their position known in a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, TunjiAlausa, and signed by Adeniran Samuel and OmotayoOmokayode.
The letter was made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti, yesterday.
They appealed to the minister to use his good office and moral authority to cause a waiver for all qualified students who passed the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination in 2025, regardless of age, saying, “Direct JAMB to remove the portal restrictions preventing these candidates from processing admission”.
They decried the policy, saying it had deeply affected the future of young Nigerians.
JAMB has begun implementation of the policy stipulating that only candidates who are 16 years old by August 2025 would be admitted to tertiary institutions.
The implementation is not going down well with many parents and guardians who are kicking against it and seeking a reversal.
Recall that a pressure group, the Movement against JAMB Injustice comprising concerned parents recently protested at the JAMB office in Lagos and the Ministry of Education, describing the age limit policy in Nigeria as unconstitutional and should be discarded forthwith.
The concerned parents in Ekiti State described the policy as “a violation of Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). This section guarantees the right of every Nigerian citizen to freedom from discrimination based on circumstances of birth, sex, community, religion, or other status.
“The JAMB policy amounts to discrimination based on the circumstance of birth (being born a few months later), by excluding brilliant students from access to higher education, while admitting older, less qualified peers. No matter how plausible the justification JAMB provides, it is constitutionally void if it denies equal opportunity or discriminates against these children.
“It is worth recalling the judgment of the Delta State High Court, which declared JAMB’s earlier directive on underage admissions null and void.
“Given the high rate of failure in the 2025 JAMB examination, it is deeply unfair for JAMB to disqualify deserving candidates who scored above 70 per cent solely because of their age.
“This policy effectively penalises a select group of high achievers, denying them admission despite their exceptional academic performance, in an exam where only a minuscule 7 per cent of all candidates managed to score 250 or higher.
“The criteria for admission should be merit, not an arbitrary age restriction, which gives older applicants who scored 150, the cutoff for universities, an edge over them,” the concerned parents stated.
They urged the minister to “encourage phased implementation of any age policy, beginning from entry into primary or junior secondary school, not at the terminal point of secondary education, where students’ futures hang in the balance.”
The concerned parents wrote, “Sir, your lifelong commitment to fairness, justice, and education has transformed lives and institutions in Nigeria.
“These children are not asking for undue advantage; they are simply asking not to be punished for excelling early. Denying them admission today dims their hope, weakens their morale, and unfairly penalises their brilliance.
“This matter is not merely about education, it is about fairness, constitutional rights and the future of Nigeria’s brightest minds.
“We believe your fatherly and principled voice at this crucial moment can restore balance, justice, and compassion in this matter.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has cautioned parents to closely monitor their children’s craving for cookies and gummies, warning that some of the products may contain illicit substances being smuggled into the country.
In a statement posted yesterday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said recent seizures by the agency’s officers had revealed attempts by criminal elements to introduce prohibited substances under the guise of everyday snacks.
“As parents, if your kids and young ones always crave for cookies and gummies, you may have to pay a little more attention. There may be more to it than ordinary cookies and gummies,” Babafemi wrote, sharing images of seized packages.
The photos showed colourful pouches of “Cookies Delta 8 Gummies” in flavours such as Hawaiian Rain Pineapple Guava and Thai Mango, labelled as vegan and hemp-derived, alongside the actual gummy products.
The warning comes amid a major interception by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
Officers seized two 40-foot containers containing large quantities of cannabis-infused products concealed among legitimate imports such as used vehicles, generators, batteries and fabrics.
The consignment included thousands of Delta-8 cannabis pre-roll cookies, packs of cannabis-infused gummies and other cannabis-infused cookies, with a combined estimated street value of about ?373.8m.
The items were subsequently handed over to the NDLEA.
NDLEA officials described the products, which originated from the United States and were packaged to resemble ordinary vegan snacks with appealing flavours, as an emerging public health threat.
They noted that the attractive packaging could appeal especially to children, students and young people, raising the risk of accidental consumption of concentrated cannabis.
The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has announced plans to partner with the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to strengthen efforts at combating illegal waste dumping and improving environmental sanitation across the state.
The partnership was unveiled during a meeting between officials of RIWAMA and the leadership of the Rivers State chapter of the PCRC in Port Harcourt, recently, where both organisations pledged to work together to restore the Garden City status of the state capital.
In his speech, the Supervisor of Market and Community Sanitation in RIWAMA, Mr. Omereji Ukoha, said the collaboration was in line with the vision of the agency’s Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma, and the Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, to promote a cleaner and healthier environment.
Ukoha described the PCRC as a strategic grassroots partner capable of mobilising communities and driving behavioural change through sustained public enlightenment on proper waste disposal.
He expressed concern over the increasing rate of indiscriminate refuse dumping in parts of Port Harcourt, particularly in New GRA, where blocked drainage channels and illegal shanties have continued to contribute to flooding and environmental degradation.
According to him, the agency is determined to intensify enforcement against environmental offenders, warning that unregistered cart pushers and residents who patronise them would be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the RIWAMA Act, 2014.
The RIWAMA official urged residents to embrace proper waste disposal practices and patronise only government-approved waste operators in order to safeguard public health and protect the environment.
Responding, the Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee in Rivers State, Dr. Voke Emore, commended RIWAMA for seeking collaboration with the committee in addressing environmental challenges confronting the state.
Emore said the PCRC would deploy its community-based structures across the state to support public sensitisation and encourage residents to comply with environmental sanitation regulations.
He also called on local government councils to play more active roles in waste management, noting that they collect sanitation levies and should complement the efforts of the state government in maintaining a clean environment.
The PCRC chairman described indiscriminate refuse disposal as a serious environmental and public health concern, stressing that sustained collaboration among government agencies, community leaders and residents remained critical to achieving lasting sanitation goals.
Both organisations expressed optimism that the partnership would promote cleaner communities, reduce environmental hazards and strengthen public participation in efforts to ensure a healthier and more sustainable environment for the people of Rivers State.
King Onunwor
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested five suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate allegedly terrorising communities in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State.
The State Police Command disclosed this in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, in Port Harcourt, recently.
The suspects were arrested during a coordinated operation at Oyigbo, following directives by the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, CP Olugbenga Adewole Adepoju.
Those arrested were Ezekiel Emmanuel, 44, from Benue State; Chukwuma Mbanefor, 51, from Anambra State; Nicholas Diala, 65, from Imo State; Ndubuisi Uwakwe, 49, from Abia State; and Ifeanyi Nwakwo, 51, from Imo State.
The Command said the arrest represented another significant operational success in its ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating in the State.
According to the Police, preliminary investigation indicated that the suspects were allegedly involved in kidnapping operations within Rivers State.
The suspects, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to their involvement in kidnapping and further admitted participating in several operations carried out in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.
The Command said investigation was ongoing, with efforts intensified to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected syndicate who may be connected with the criminal activities.
The Police boss said the operation reflected the implementation of operational directives and the intelligence-driven policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc, NPM.
Adepoju reaffirmed the Command’s determination to sustain aggressive intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery and other violent crimes across Rivers State.
He warned kidnappers and other criminal elements operating in the State that there would be no safe haven for them, stressing that the Command would relentlessly pursue, arrest and ensure that those found culpable were brought to justice.
The Commissioner further assured residents of the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies in the fight against crime.
He appealed to residents to provide the Police with credible and timely information capable of assisting security operatives in preventing criminal activities and apprehending suspected criminals.
The Command urged members of the public who may have useful information on the activities of the suspected kidnapping syndicate or other criminal elements to contact the Police through its emergency lines, assuring that such information would assist ongoing investigations.
King Onunwor