02/08/2026
Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant, 16-year-old Osasere Okundaye, says JAMB is not too difficult to pass, insisting that poor quality education, not lower cut-off marks, is the real challenge facing many candidates.
Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant, Osasere Okundaye, has shared her thoughts on the long-running debate about JAMB, saying the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is not as difficult as many Nigerians make it seem.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Sunday, the 16-year-old said the bigger issue is not the exam itself but the quality of education many students receive before sitting for it.
Her comments come at a time when Nigerians are once again debating JAMB results, admission cut-off marks and whether the standards for entering higher institutions should be reduced.
According to Okundaye, she has written UTME twice. The first time was simply to understand how the exam worked because she wasn't planning to enter university at the time. She later sat for it again the following year.
"I feel that JAMB is not too difficult to pass," she said.
However, she was quick to point out that her experience shouldn't be used to judge every student's reality because educational opportunities are not the same across Nigeria.
"I understand that it depends on the quality of education that you are receiving. "I went to a private school in Lagos. So, there are different standards of education across Nigeria.
"I can't use my case as a single indicator of the quality across board. I understand that the level of education being provided at different schools would impact how students will be able to perform in those examinations.
"And you can't say JAMB should create different examinations for everyone, but the cut-off for certain institutions, I believe they exist there for a reason," she said.
The teenage accounting star also weighed in on calls for lower admission cut-off marks, saying that reducing standards would not solve the country's education challenges.
"I don't think bringing the standard down is the solution.
"I believe moves should be made to improve the quality of education that students are receiving in schools to help them perform better.
"I think increasing the resources given to people to reach that standard is the solution instead," she said.
She added that Nigerian youths already have what it takes to succeed academically if they are properly supported.
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