By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a formal clarification regarding the case of Miss Kareem Kaamilah Omolarami, an underage candidate who scored 371 in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and applied for admission to the Nile University of Nigeria.
In a statement released by its Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, fairness, and due process in all admission activities, emphasizing that its operations are governed by the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) — an automated platform designed to eliminate human interference and ensure merit-based admissions across all tertiary institutions.
According to the statement, JAMB operates a four-stage screening process for underage candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic performance to maintain the integrity of admissions. The stages include:
Attaining a minimum UTME score of 320; Scoring at least 80% in the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE); Achieving 80% in the university’s internal screening exercise; and Participating in a final screening conducted by a JAMB-appointed panel comprising Vice-Chancellors, civil society representatives, education experts, and other distinguished professionals — where the candidate must also score at least 80%.
Each stage, JAMB explained, is a prerequisite for progression to the next.
The Board stated that Miss Omolarami successfully passed the first two stages but was officially reported absent by Nile University during the third stage — the institution’s internal screening exercise.
“This report was formally transmitted to the Board by the institution, thereby rendering her ineligible to participate in the final screening exercise, which took place on October 8 and 9, 2025,” the statement read.
JAMB clarified that her non-invitation to the final stage “was not due to administrative oversight, bias, or procedural lapse,” but was a direct consequence of the university’s official submission confirming her absence.
The Board revealed that Miss Omolarami had, on October 7, 2025, submitted a formal complaint through its online support platform, petitioning Nile University over her exclusion.
“In response, the Board has requested an official explanation from the university and is currently awaiting its report to enable a fair and evidence-based review of the matter,” JAMB said.
It added that while JAMB regulates and approves all admissions in Nigeria, universities retain autonomy to recommend qualified candidates based on their internal evaluations. The Board’s decisions, it noted, are strictly guided by verified information supplied by the admitting institutions.
In line with established procedures, JAMB announced that it would proceed to release the results of 84 successful underage candidates who completed all four stages of the screening process to their respective institutions for final admission processing.
Concluding the statement, JAMB advised candidates to utilize its official communication channels for complaints and clarifications rather than resorting to public commentary or media interventions.
“These channels are more effective in ensuring timely and accurate redress,” the statement added.
“The non-inclusion of Miss Kareem Kaamilah Omolarami in the final stage of the underage screening exercise was in complete conformity with established admission procedures and based solely on official information communicated by the admitting university,” the Board reiterated.
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