Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the Federal Government’s recent directive that candidates under the age of 18 should not be granted admission into tertiary institutions.
Atiku expressed his disapproval in a statement on his Facebook page, calling the policy a “disincentive to scholarship” and accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of acting like a “lost sailor on a high sea.”
The controversy stems from a directive issued by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, who stated that the 18-year minimum age requirement aligns with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.
Mamman emphasized that students younger than 18 are often not mature enough to handle the transition to university life, which involves moving from a controlled to an uncontrolled environment.
“The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination,” Mamman said.
“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.”
Mamman added that the government would review this trend, as younger students might struggle to manage the responsibilities that come with university education.
In response, Atiku described the policy as “an absurdity” that contradicts the principles of federalism in Nigeria.
He argued that education is on the concurrent list in the Nigerian Constitution, meaning that sub-national governments should have more authority in setting educational policies.
“The policy runs foul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea,” Atiku stated.
“Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?”
Atiku further criticized the Federal Government for not having a plan to accommodate specially gifted students who might be under 18 but are academically ready for tertiary education.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this obnoxious policy, the government inadvertently said it had no plan to cater for specially gifted pupils.
That statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country because it portrays Nigeria as a country where gifted students are not appreciated,” he said.
Atiku called on the Federal Government to focus on setting up mechanisms that identify and support gifted students, regardless of their age, rather than imposing what he described as a “Stone Age” policy.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be roundly condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility,” Atiku concluded.
