Jane Salihu
Seven outstanding Nigerian undergraduates are to receive a total of ₦35 million in cash rewards as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in partnership with Rite Foods Limited, launches its maiden Academic Excellence Recognition Awards in Lagos on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
According to JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the initiative is designed to celebrate exceptional academic achievement, reward merit and inspire young Nigerians to strive for excellence.
He said each of the seven awardees will receive ₦5 million for their outstanding performance in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and their respective Post-UTME or institutional screening exercises.
The awardees emerged through a rigorous, transparent and merit-based selection process coordinated by JAMB. Six winners represent the country’s six geopolitical zones, while the seventh award recognises the highest-performing admitted candidate living with a disability.
The winning institutions are the University of Lagos (South-West), University of Uyo (South-South), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (South-East), Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia (North-West), University of Maiduguri (North-East), and Federal University of Technology, Minna (North-Central).
The recipient of the award for the highest-performing candidate living with a disability also hails from the University of Lagos, making the institution the only one with two award recipients at the maiden edition.
The ceremony is expected to attract more than 300 participants, including the Minister of Education, JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, vice-chancellors, heads of tertiary education regulatory agencies, education stakeholders, corporate leaders, students and members of the media.
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