The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) says 4,216 candidates with disabilities have gained admission into Nigeria’s universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the last decade.
Chairman of the group, Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, made this known on Wednesday at the 2026 JAMB National Stakeholder Engagement on Inclusivity and Higher Education in Abuja.
Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission(NUC), said the JEOG was set up by outgoing JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, to ensure candidates with disabilities have equal access to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME) and to tertiary admission.
He said the initiative has maintained steady results since it began, with an average of 53 per cent of participating candidates securing admission each year.
The beneficiaries, he noted, include persons with visual impairment, autism, Down syndrome, albinism and other conditions.
“In the last 10 years, we have had 4,216 candidates with different categories of disabilities participate in the programme. On the average, about 53 per cent of them gain admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education every year,” he said.
Okebukola stressed that the Board does not apply a different yardstick for the candidates.
“We do not lower standards for them. They answer the same questions as every other candidate. I am continually amazed by how excellently they perform. Many of them are exceptionally brilliant,” he said.
He added that several of them have done well in competitive fields such as Law and other professional courses, which he said shows that disability does not preclude academic excellence once the right support is available.
He said the stakeholder meeting also looked to the future, with Artificial Intelligence identified as a major factor for expanding inclusion in higher education.
“We are reviewing what we have achieved in the last 10 years and looking ahead. One of the major issues that will shape the future of higher education is Artificial Intelligence, and we are examining how AI can improve the efficiency of inclusivity in higher education,” he said.
Two publications were unveiled at the event. The first, A Peep into the Future of Higher Education in Nigeria, was put together in honour of Prof. Oloyede with contributions from 44 scholars on where Nigeria’s tertiary system is headed.
The second, Early Start, Great Finish: Survival and Success – Manual for Underage Students in Nigerian Universities, written by Okebukola, is aimed at parents, lecturers, administrators and other stakeholders supporting gifted students admitted before age 16.
He said the manual followed consultations with 468 scholars and underage students in Nigerian universities and focuses on helping them cope with issues like bullying, emotional adjustment and social integration.
Also, speaking the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, led tributes to Oloyede, saying his reforms have improved the credibility of the UTME and broadened access for persons with disabilities.
JAMB also recognised staff and institutions at the event.
Awards were presented to outstanding personnel, especially in the Information Technology Department, for their role in improving the Board’s operations. Several tertiary institutions were also honoured for admitting and supporting candidates with disabilities, in line with JAMB’s push for a more inclusive system.
(The Whistler)
