Meet 14-year-old 2025 UTME High Flyer, JohnPaul Nwigwe

When the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) set a minimum age limit of 16 for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates in October 2024, Johnpaul, then barely 14, was understandably concerned about his academic future, as this was the first time his fast-paced academic trajectory was to be punctuated.

However, with guidance from his parents and school counsellors, he focused on preparations for his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The tables turned when JAMB announced that underage candidates could sit for the exam only if they could prove to be “exceptionally talented” by scoring 320 or above.

Johnpaul’s parents were torn, but he was determined to take the exam with his peers. Thanks to Christ the King College’s preparation and frequent mock exams at their CBT facility, Johnpaul felt confident and set to go.

When the UTME results were released on May 9, Johnpaul’s score wasn’t immediately disclosed due to his age.

Instead, his result read, “Underaged and proceeding to stages 2, 3, and 4.” Given that his older co-top-runners and classmates were basking in the euphoria of their successes, uncertainty once again weighed him down, and there were concerns that he might be psychologically affected going into his WASSCE. But his parents and school counsellors once again reassured him that he had most likely crossed the 320 benchmark.

On May 24, the underage candidates’ results were finally released, revealing Johnpaul’s impressive score: ENG 76, MAT 81, PHY 89, CHE 92, and an aggregate of 338. As the youngest and third-top scorer in his school, and among the top underage scorers in the 2025 UTME, Johnpaul proved that age is not a determinant of academic prowess.

Born into a family of five children, Johnpaul is the third child of Patrick Nwigwe and Uloma Nwigwe from Ibeme in Isi-Ala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. A product of resilience and attentiveness to guidance and direction, Johnpaul has been pushing boundaries, making his academic progress unstoppable even from the age of two. This remarkable achievement once again showcases his potential, resilience, and passion for learning.

Aside from academic excellence, where he has consistently remained among the top contenders in all school sessions and engagements, Johnpaul plays chess with passion and is the current CKC Chess Champion. He is also into coding and robotics. He is a significant member of his school’s Science and Tech Club and aspires to build a career in Aeronautics.

He shall be enrolling for Electronics and Computer Engineering at the university in the next academic session.

With his remarkable achievements at this tender age, the world eagerly awaits his future breakthroughs in engineering, aeronautics, and related fields.