Gom Mirian
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has accepted the Senate’s decision to investigate alleged admission racketeering in universities across the nation.
The exam body said it believes the probe will ultimately vindicate their reputation.
The Senate agreed to launch an investigation into the matter following a motion put forward by Senator Onyeka Nwebonyi from Ebonyi North, wherein he cited the admission struggles of Chinyere Ekwe, a student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as evidence of unscrupulous practices carried out by university staff and JAMB officials.
In response to the allegations, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, called for a fair hearing.
During the 2023 Customer Service Week at JAMB headquarters in Abuja, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, applauded the Senate for allowing the exam body to defend itself against the allegations.
He expressed confidence that JAMB will be proven innocent and their commitment to maintaining a fair and transparent admission process will be acknowledged.
According to JAMB, Ekwe had applied to study Medicine and Surgery at UNN, ranking 241 position in applicants for the medical programme in the university after all her other academic performances, including her post-UTME score, were calculated by the institution.
“Seeing the reality of the ranking, this lady did not apply to change her course, but the university decided she changes to Medical Laboratory, and a proposal was made to her and she accepted the Medical Laboratory in writing, and the institution then recommended her for admission into Medical Laboratory, and we knew that she could not have been taken for Medicine because that year the university admitted more than the approved number.”
While saying that the university admitted above its given departmental quota in Medical Laboratory and was told to reduce the number, Oloyede said it was discovered that many other applicants who were admitted “under the table” (ilegally) scored above her.
“Up till today, the lady has no approval letter from JAMB neither for Medicine nor Medical Laboratory. And if she is doing Medical Laboratory, she is doing it in an arrangement between her and the institution,” Oloyede said.
