No fewer than 4,216 candidates with disabilities have gained admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across Nigeria over the past decade through the intervention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG).
Chairman of the group, Emeritus Professor Peter Okebukola, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2026 JAMB National Stakeholder Engagement on Inclusivity and Higher Education held at the headquarters of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja.
Okebukola said the initiative, established by the outgoing JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has significantly expanded access to tertiary education for persons with disabilities across the country.
According to him, the programme has maintained an average annual admission rate of 53 per cent, with beneficiaries drawn from various disability groups, including persons with visual impairment, autism, Down syndrome, albinism and other physical challenges.
He stressed that candidates under the scheme are not given preferential academic treatment, noting that they sit for the same Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and are assessed using the same standards as every other applicant.
“We do not lower standards for them. They answer the same questions as every other candidate, and many have demonstrated exceptional academic ability,” Okebukola said.
He added that several beneficiaries of the initiative have gone on to study competitive courses, including Law and other professional programmes.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s stakeholder engagement, Okebukola said participants explored how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be leveraged to deepen inclusivity in Nigeria’s higher education system.
He explained that the meeting also reviewed the achievements of the JEOG initiative over the past decade while examining how emerging technologies could further improve access to education and learning opportunities for candidates with disabilities.
The event featured the unveiling of two publications. The first, A Peep into the Future of Higher Education in Nigeria, was produced in honour of Oloyede and contains contributions from 44 scholars on the future of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
The second publication, Early Start, Great Finish: Survival and Success – Manual for Underage Students in Nigerian Universities, authored by Okebukola, provides guidance for parents, lecturers and university administrators on supporting exceptionally gifted students admitted into universities before the age of 16.
Stakeholders at the event paid glowing tributes to Oloyede for his contributions to strengthening the integrity of the UTME and advancing inclusive education.
Among them was the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, who commended the registrar’s reforms for enhancing transparency in the admission process and expanding educational opportunities for persons with disabilities.
As part of the event, JAMB honoured outstanding members of staff, particularly those in its Information Technology Department, for their innovation and dedication to the Board’s operations.
Several tertiary institutions were also recognised for their commitment to admitting and supporting candidates with disabilities, as JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to building a more inclusive higher education system in Nigeria.
