Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated President Bola Tinubu government’s age limit on university admission, linking it to stone age mentality.

“Tinubu’s policy on age limit for tertiary education admission belongs in the Stone Ages,” Mr Abubakar said, describing the policy as an “absurdity” and “obnoxious.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Atiku said “The recent policy of the Federal Ministry of Education pegging age limits for entry to tertiary institutions is an absurdity and a disincentive to scholarship.”

He added, “The policy runs afoul of the notion of delineation of responsibilities in a federal system of government such as we are practising, and gives a graphic impression of how the Tinubu government behaves like a lost sailor on a high sea.  Otherwise, how is such anti-scholarship regulation the next logical step in the myriad of issues besetting our educational system?”

Mr Abubakar’s criticisms follow federal government prohibition of pupils below 18 from taking the National Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council exams.

The policy when implemented would bar students below age 18 from gaining admission into universities in Nigeria.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, earlier in week on Channels TV announced the age limit for WAEC and NECO candidates.