Nigeria former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the recent policy of the federal government, which imposes age limits for entry into tertiary institutions.
It could be recalled that the federal government has barred individuals under the age of 18 from participating in the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.
In an interview with Channels Television, Minister of Education Prof. Tahir Mamman stated that the age limit for candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains 18 years.
In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Atiku described the policy as absurd and detrimental to scholarship.
He remarked that the policy “gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.”
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections added that the policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.
He stated, “The policy contradicts the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as ours and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea. Otherwise, how is such an anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step amid the myriad issues besetting our educational system?
“To be clear, the Nigerian constitution places education in the concurrent list of schedules, where sub-national governments hold more authority than the federal government.
“Therefore, it is extra-constitutional for the federal government to legislate on education in a manner akin to a decree.
“The best global standard for such regulation is to allow sub-national governments to create their respective laws or rules on education.
“It is discouraging that even while announcing this objectionable policy, the government inadvertently stated it had no plan to cater to specially gifted pupils. This statement is an embarrassment to the body of intellectuals in the country, as it portrays Nigeria as a place where gifted students are not valued.
“The irony here is that if the federal government plays any role in education, it should be to establish mechanisms to identify and grant scholarships to gifted students, regardless of their ages, before applying for admission into tertiary institutions.
“This controversial policy belongs in the Stone Ages and should be condemned by everyone who believes in intellectual freedom and accessibility.”