Abuja, Nigeria – Mediaage NG News – Nigeria’s Senate has agreed to look into suspicions in admission processes in Nigerian universities, following a motion by Senator Onyeka Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North), during Wednesday’s plenary session.
It also asked its relevant committees to invite the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Ishaq Oloyede, and the Vice-Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Igwe.
Nwebonyi said the university staff members conspired with JAMB officials to carry out unwholesome practices for financial gains.
The Red Chamber further directed its Committees on Tertiary Institutions and the Tertiary Education Fund; as well as Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to probe the allegation of admission fraud in tertiary institutions.
Nwebonyi said authorities of tertiary institutions, in partnership with some JAMB officials, have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Law, Engineering and Nursing Science, with a view to shortchanging some students already offered admissions in exchange for gratification.
“One Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 290 others were admitted to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) but, had their admissions truncated on the order of JAMB for no plausible reason after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures, he began in his motion.
“Miss Ekwe, in particular, scored 291 in the 2019 UTME and 300 in the university’s post-UTME, which qualified her for the course and was subsequently admitted by the university.
“The said Chinyere Ekwe was transferred to the Department of Medical Laboratory Science on the ground that if her cumulative grade point was up to 4.5 points after the first year, she would be transferred back to medicine and surgery.
“However, although she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still not yet certain whether she is duly admitted to the Department of Medicine and Surgery or Medical Laboratory Science.
“The provisional admission practice is being used as a malicious tool to exploit and frustrate intelligent young Nigerians who are children and wards of ordinary people who seek admission into Nigerian universities.”
Such unwholesome practices, he added, put the country’s educational system in jeopardy, and cause apathy on the side of ordinary Nigerians.
Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President encouraged that a fair hearing be given to the accused parties, saying JAMB and UNN were known to be reputable institutions, not just in Nigeria, UNN is known globally.
“The University of Nigeria has a reputation that spans decades and is respected internationally. And JAMB has its own reputation, he said.
“It could give the international community the impression that something is questionable about the certificate from the University of Nigeria which we all respect. It has given birth to so many universities including the one I went to which is the University of Calabar.
“Let the other side be heard, so that we can do a holistic job and even invite the Minister of Education to find out whether this kind of practice is occurring in tertiary institutions. So let us do a wholistic job. It is important we correct any wrong that we see”, the Senate President concluded.
JAMB is a statutory body charged with conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for admissions to all Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions.