Atiku Criticises Tinubu’s Age Restriction Policy for University Admissions as “Stone Age” Practice

Former Nigerian Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate at the 2023 Elections, has launched a scathing critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration over a new policy imposing age limits for admission into tertiary institutions.

Atiku condemned the policy as regressive and unconstitutional, arguing it undermines educational access and intellectual freedom in the country.

Atiku strongly criticised the Federal Ministry of Education’s recent policy that sets age limits for entry into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Abubakar described the policy as an “absurdity” that discourages scholarship and intellectual growth. According to Abubakar, the policy is reminiscent of an outdated approach to education that belongs in “the Stone Ages.”

He further argued that the policy contradicts the principles of federalism enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. Education, he noted, is listed under the concurrent legislative list, granting sub-national governments a greater role in shaping educational policies than the federal government. He criticised the Tinubu administration for overstepping its constitutional boundaries by imposing a nationwide regulation on educational age limits, likening the move to an authoritarian decree.

The former Vice President also expressed disappointment in the government’s failure to address the needs of specially gifted students within this policy framework. He noted that the absence of provisions for these students is an embarrassment to Nigeria’s intellectual community, as it implies a lack of appreciation for academic excellence.

Atiku argued that the federal government’s role should focus on identifying and supporting gifted students, offering scholarships irrespective of age, rather than restricting their access to higher education.

Concluding his statement, he called for widespread condemnation of the policy, urging all advocates of intellectual freedom and educational accessibility to oppose it. He stressed that such a regressive measure should have no place in a modern, progressive society and called for its immediate reversal.