The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has faulted the federal government’s 18-year age limit for pupils writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, and National Examination Council, NECO, examinations.

The student body lamented that the policy was capable of breeding “overgrown people” in universities and polytechnics across the country which may in turn increase the rate of cultism and other vices on campuses.

DAILY POST reported that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had announced a policy setting the minimum age for writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) at 18 years, starting from 2025, saying that the directive on age requirement was a reaffirmation of existing regulations.

The NANS President, Pedro Chibuzor, who spoke on Thursday at a workshop titled “Campaign against Social Vices” held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the policy was not in the best interest of Nigeria’s education sector.

He noted that the minister failed to consult with relevant stakeholders before making such a pronouncement and that the apex student body would not accept the development.

Chibuzor said “What if you are 18 years old and you write WAEC, and scored A in virtually all the subjects but in English Language, you got F9 or E8. Are you saying the person would have to wait till age 19 before he writes again? That is the question the Minister needs to answer.

“That’s why we the National Association of Nigerian Students are saying no to that policy. Policy statements are not something you just do without consultation. You must consult widely.”

“ I can assure you that the decision is not in the best interest of the Nigerian educational sector. Like I said when I was talking about having overgrown people in our universities and polytechnics, it also contributes to cultism. We must be frank with ourselves.”

“Before now, in the year 2000 or 2003, you would see on pages of newspapers that a high number of students were killed as a result of cult attacks; I wouldn’t want to call names. But we saw most of those stories occurring and recurring. But now you can bear me witness that such incidents have reduced drastically. We are not saying there is no cultism in our campuses, but to an extent, it has reduced.”

“And the question is, has the minister of education found out what contributed to a reduction of cultism in our campuses? For me, and with the little research and consultation we have done as an organisation, age is a factor.”

“When you have somebody who is 25 years old on campus in 100 Level, the person is also thinking about other things. He’s frustrated; he’s looking at his colleagues or age mates who have graduated and doing something better. So, he channels that frustration to a different thing entirely that is going to be detrimental to society.”

The NANS President, however, called for the immediate reversal of the policy and reaffirmed the determination of the student body to combat drug usage, sexual harassment, and other social vices on campuses.

Earlier in his address, the Clerk of Senate, and Chief Host, Abdulyekinn Odunayo, said the workshop with the theme, “Breaking the chains of social vices: Empowering the youth” was organized to educate students about the dangers of social vices and promote a safe and healthy learning environment in campuses.