There are kids and then there are whiz kids. With nine As in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and a JAMB university matriculation score of 332 David Orisheneye Okorogheye is a whiz kid. However, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has reportedly denied the 15-year-old admission to study medicine.
The brilliant lad from Starfield College, Fagba, Iju, Lagos, who became 15 on May 24, 2018, was denied admission on account of his age. As a standard in UNILAG and some other Nigeria universities, a candidate must be 16 years before he/she can be offered admission.
While Okorogheye who hails from Delta State was preparing for the May/June 2018 WASSCE and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), there were high hopes that by October he would be in the university among the first on the merit list of the University of Lagos no doubt.
Despite his sterling performance in both examinations, the university refused to offer him admission because he was below the required age. He was reportedly not part of applicants that wrote UNILAG post UTME test recently.
In the May/June 2018 WASSCE, Okorogheye with examination number 4251025056 obtained 9As: Civic Education A1, English Language A1, Further Mathematics A1, Mathematics A1, Biology A1, Chemistry A1, Physics A1, Computer Studies A1 and Catering Craft Practice A1.
In the 2018 UTME he scored 332: English Language, 67, Chemistry 91, Physics 89 and Biology 85.
He should be advised to study either maths combined with physics or engineering if he is to realize his full potential. Medicine will not offer him much challenges.