Owoeye Daniella Jesudunsin and Enwere Kingsley Ikenna have emerged as the top performers among candidates recognised for exceptional achievement in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), scoring 372 and 370 marks respectively.

Vanguard reported that the two were among eight young candidates presented with plaques and certificates by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, following a Federal Government screening exercise that cleared only 108 applicants from a pool of approximately 39,000 underage UTME candidates.

The exercise was designed to determine whether exceptionally young applicants were ready for tertiary education, with the assessment extending beyond academic results to their emotional, psychological and intellectual preparedness.

Alausa said the ability to excel in an examination did not automatically mean a child was prepared for the demands of university life. He urged the successful candidates to deploy their talents towards innovations that could address societal challenges.

“You are the ones that will change Nigeria and change the world with your innovations,” the minister said.

He described Nigeria’s young population as a significant asset, noting that the country has an estimated 220 million people, an average age of 18.5 years and a population in which about 70 per cent are below 30.

According to the minister, the Federal Government’s education reforms seek to develop young Nigerians’ potential and create opportunities for them to produce ideas and solutions capable of improving lives. He congratulated the recognised candidates on behalf of President Bola Tinubu and the Ministry of Education.