More than half of the 4,216 candidates with disabilities who participated in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) programme over the past decade have secured admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
The Chairman of JEOG and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2026 JAMB National Stakeholder Engagement on Inclusivity and Higher Education held at the NUC headquarters in Abuja.
Okebukola said the initiative, established by outgoing JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has enabled candidates with disabilities to access the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and gain admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. He noted that, on average, 53 per cent of participants have secured admission each year over the last 10 years.
According to him, the beneficiaries include candidates with visual impairment, autism, Down syndrome, albinism and other disabilities. He stressed that they are assessed using the same academic standards as other UTME 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,” Okebukola said.
He added that many of the candidates have gone on to study competitive courses, including Law and other professional programmes, demonstrating that disability is not a barrier to academic success when adequate support is provided.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s stakeholder engagement, Okebukola said participants examined how Artificial Intelligence could be leveraged to strengthen inclusive higher education and improve support for students with disabilities.
As part of activities marking the programme’s 10th anniversary, two books were unveiled, including A Peep into the Future of Higher Education in Nigeria, produced in honour of Prof. Oloyede, and Early Start, Great Finish: Survival and Success, a guide for supporting underage students in Nigerian universities.
The event also featured tributes to Oloyede from education stakeholders, including TETFund Executive Secretary Dr. Sonny Echono, who praised his reforms for improving the credibility of the UTME and expanding access to higher education for persons with disabilities. JAMB also honoured outstanding staff members and tertiary institutions for their contributions to inclusive education.
