DAILY TRUST
Master Chinaemere Opara has sued the Federal Ministry of Education, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the government’s policy which seeks to limit admissions into Nigerian universities to applicants who attain the age of 18.
Opara, a 15-year-old Senior Secondary School (SSS) Student, filed the suit through his guardian, Mr. Maxwell Opara, his father and a lawyer, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1512/2024 dated Sept. 30 and filed Oct. 14 by Wayne Elijah, the SS 2 student listed the ministry, JAMB and NUC as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.
In his six reliefs, the applicant sought a declaration that the respondents’ minimum age for admission policy to restrict the age of Nigerian citizens for admission into universities in the country is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
He said it amounted to a gross violation of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, 2011 (as amended) and Article 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13(2), 17 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1 LFN.
He urged the court to declare that his right to peaceful assembly and association cannot be limited by the respondents’ admission policy.
He also sought a declaration that the policy, which restricts his age before exercising his right of association and self-determination as to when to enrol to write the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) and/or JAMB exams infringed on his right of equal access to public service.
READ THE FULL STORY IN DAILY TRUST
