JAMB alerts on surge of falsified age declarations on NIN slips

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has raised concerns over a troubling increase in doctored age declarations on National Identification Number (NIN) slips submitted by candidates. The exam body has highlighted the dangers of underage candidates manipulating their age to gain university admission.

JAMB has now set a new criterion: only candidates who are at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible for university entry.

The directive, issued by Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Chairman of the 2024 Tertiary Admission Policy Meeting and Minister of Education, emphasizes stricter age requirements. The 6-3-3-4 education structure will be enforced starting from the 2025 academic session.

In a statement, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin explained that this measure aims to combat the widespread practice of age falsification. He detailed how some institutions and candidates collude to alter essential details, such as backdating the year of entry and adjusting ages. This illegal practice often involves using certificates from genuine candidates with similar names to facilitate fraudulent admissions and participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.