Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant says JAMB is not too difficult to pass, blames poor education

Precious Omolu 09:06 - 27 July 2026

Add Pulse as a preferred source on Google

16-year-old Osasere Okundaye, who made history by becoming Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant after passing the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) professional examinations

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.

Osasere Okundaye says JAMB is not too difficult to pass but admits educational standards differ across Nigeria.
She believes improving the quality of education is a better solution than lowering university admission cut-off marks.
The 16-year-old said she wrote UTME twice, with the first attempt serving as practice.
Okundaye recently became Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant after passing ICAN's professional examinations, despite previously failing one paper before eventually qualifying.

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.

Osasere Okundaye speaking during an interview on ARISE News Television, where she discussed the JAMB UTME debate, advocating for higher educational standards rather than lowering university admission cut-off marks.

"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.

andidates participating in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in a computer-based test center in Nigeria.

She added that Nigerian youths already have what it takes to succeed academically if they are properly supported.

"I believe young people have the ability; they have the potential, so they would be able to perform if they are given additional resources and additional guidance," she added.

Okundaye recently made history after becoming Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant at just 16 years old by passing the demanding professional examinations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).

Her achievement broke the previous record set by Jonathan Adewale, who became Nigeria's youngest chartered accountant at 17 in 2022.

Despite the historic feat, her journey wasn't without setbacks. She previously revealed that she failed one of her final ICAN professional examination papers before rewriting it successfully, saying the experience taught her resilience during the three-year journey to qualification.

Her comments are likely to spark fresh reactions among Nigerians, especially as conversations around JAMB performance, university admissions and the state of education continue across the country.