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A young Nigerian man, Idris Abdulrasheed Adeiza, who achieved an impressive JAMB score of 323 in 2024, recently received a sponsorship to study software engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.
His achievement, though extraordinary, came with challenges, as his father, a bricklayer, was unable to afford his university education.
The story first gained attention on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where a Nigerian man shared Idris’s situation and determination to continue his studies despite financial difficulties.
In his initial post, he wrote, “Idris Abdulrasheed Adeiza is from Kogi State. He scored 323 in JAMB 2024, making him the second-highest in Kogi State. His dad is a bricklayer and his mother a trader. He had no hopes of continuing education because no one could fund it. He was already considering learning a trade.”
“I spoke with him a few minutes ago and have committed to supporting his education journey through the university. He wants to study Chemical Engineering at FUT Minna, and I pray he succeeds well,” he continued. “He is a star, and the world will celebrate him someday.”
Later, the man updated his followers with uplifting news: “Idris’s dream has come to pass. He has been offered admission to study software engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. I will support him through his journey until he finishes. Through him, his generation will be liberated.”
The post sparked an outpouring of support and praise, with many sharing their thoughts and encouragement in the comments, commending Idris’s resilience and celebrating his future success.
See some reactions below:
@winexviv: “I can’t express in words what you have been doing for Nigerians but you will reap the fruit of your labour.”
@wesabidelivery: “Wow, great job sir 👍. God continue to bless you so you can be a blessing to others.”
@donbuchiuzo: “You r doing really great,thank for what you do for humanity.”
SEE POST:
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, said on Thursday that universities and other tertiary institutions in the country can now admit candidates who will turn 16 by August 31, 2025.
The board announced that the affected candidates can be admitted for the 2024/2025 academic session if they meet the institution’s standards.
DAILY POST recalls that the minimum age for admission in tertiary institutions was earlier this year deliberated at the 2024 Policy Meeting and decided to be 16 years old for the 2024/25 academic session.
The cut-off date was subsequently put on December 31, 2024.
The development triggered reactions from parents and other concerned citizens, who expressed divergent views on the matter.
However, JAMB, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Public Relations Officer, Fabian Benjamin, said because some institutions extended admission periods until July 2025, it will allow institutions to admit candidates who will turn 16 by August 31, 2025.
“This effort is to ensure equity because those whose 2024 admission would last till August 2025 would not be unduly favoured. Any institution that insists on its 16 years being within the year 2024 is completely free to do so,” the statement added.
Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has cautioned African countries against relying on foreign developed artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Delivering the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) lecture series, titled, ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanities,’ Professor Oloyede said that, “rather, African nations should invest in building their own AI capabilities, so they are not entirely dependent on external powers.
“By being part of AI’s global development, they can ensure that they are not exploited or left out of future.”
Oloyede also advocated adoption of Hausa sign language as the second national official language in Nigeria.
The former vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin, cautioned those in the academic world, who do not have adequate knowledge about their subjects, against adopting AI in the quest to seek solutions about their subjects so as not to be misled.
Oloyede, who said that AI has come to stay, however, maintained that, “humanity should be in control of AI, if we will save humanities from perdition.”
“African nations need to invest in building their own AI capabilities, so they are not entirely dependent on external powers. By being part of AI’s global development, they can ensure that they are not exploited or left out of the future.
“African Telecommunication unions (ATU), African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and Smart Africa must lead in the charge in developing AI strategies tailored to meet the continent’s specific needs. These bodies should promote policies that encourage the ethical development and use of AI across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance.
“Collaboration between African countries on AI research and data sharing can help mitigate the risk of relying on foreign developed A I technologies”, he said.
The professor of Islamic Studies tasked scholars in the discipline to take up the challenge of generating content for AI to ensure that its contents conforms with fundamental human rights, values, and Islamic doctrines and principles.
“In fields like Islamic Studies and Law, AI must be developed with sensitivity to ethical and cultural contexts. Universities and scholars should explore how AI can assist in complex tasks like issuing fatwas or navigating legal ethics, while ensuring that AI aligns with fundamental human rights values”, he said.
By Taiye Agbaje
A 15-year-old Senior Secondary School (SSS) Student, Master Chinaemere Opara, has sued the Federal Ministry of Education, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the introduction of a new admission policy.
Opara, filed the suit through his guardian, Mr Maxwell Opara, his father and a lawyer, at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
In the originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1512/2024 dated Sept. 30 and filed Oct. 14 by Wayne Elijah, the SS 2 student listed the ministry, JAMB and NUC as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.
In his six reliefs, the applicant sought a declaration that the respondents’ minimum age for admission policy to restrict the age of Nigerian citizens for admission into universities in the country is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
He said it amounted to a gross violation of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Sections 42 of the 1999 Constitution, 2011 (as amended) and Article 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13(2), 17 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and People Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1 LFN.
He urged the court to declare that his right to peaceful assembly and association cannot be limited by the respondents’ admission policy.
He also sought a declaration that the policy which restricts his age before exercising his right of association and self-determination as to when to enroll to write the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) and/or JAMB exams infringed on his right of equal access to public service.
This, he said, is guaranteed under Article 13(2) and (3) of the African Charter on Human and People Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1 LFN.
Opara, therefore, sought an order of perpetual Injunction restraining the respondents, from attempting to disturb, breach or interfere with his rights.
He equally sought an order setting aside the policy.
In the affidavit deposed to by Maxwell, he said he is the biological father of Chinaemere.
He said Chinaemere is an SS2 student of Sure Start Secondary School who is directly affected by the respondents’ minimum age for admission policy.
He said the policy had impeded on Chinaemere’s right to freedom from age discrimination and education as enshrined in the law.
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He said his son “read from online newspaper that the 1s respondent stated that there’s no going back on the implementation of his policy which stated that any person below 16 years would not be qualified to get admission in the university no matter how brilliant the person is.
“That since then the applicant believes that his right to education has been or likely to be violated.
“That the applicant would enter SS 3 in this 2024/2025 academic session with his plan/arrangements of writing his WAEC, NECO AND JAMB in 2025 with his expectations of gaining admission in 2025/2026 university academic sessions.
“That I know as of facts that in Nigeria, there is no specific age limit for gaining admission into universities.
“However, candidates typically must have completed their secondary education and sit for WASSCE or its equivalent.
“That I know as of facts that in Nigeria most universities in Nigeria require candidates to meet certain academic qualifications, such as having a minimum number of credits in relevant subjects and passing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“That I know as of facts that in Nigeria there is no federal or state law making age a barrier for the applicant to gain admission.
“That the applicant strongly believes that he will perform excellently and make good grades in all the subjects that will be required for him to gain admission.
“That the applicant wants to study Medicine & Surgery whose duration is 6 years along with a mandatory 1-year youths service and 1-year compulsory Medical Externship totalling all 8 years,” Mr Maxwell said.
The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge as at the time of filing the report.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had in July stated that beginning from 2025, candidates under 18 years old would not be allowed to sit for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, a prerequisite for admission to higher institutions.
The announcement, however, sparked intense debate among education stakeholders and parents, forcing Mamman to accept 16 years as the admission age into tertiary institutions.
(NAN)
As part of measures to prevent extortion and enhance service delivery, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it has concluded arrangements to fully automate its services to reduce physical contact with candidates.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said this had become important “given that many of the candidates who take the UTME are underage.”
This was noted in a bulletin of the board sighted by our correspondent on its website on Monday.
The bulletin quoted JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, as explaining that limiting physical contact would address issues of extortion and exploitation.
“Prof. Oloyede stated that given that many of the candidates who take the UTME are underage, the board is considering limiting physical contact with those with challenges to avoid any alleged issues of extortion and other forms of exploitation. He stated that in due course, interactions would be limited to online ones with calls recorded for effective monitoring and quality control,” the statement read.
It noted that “the board had received a series of reports bordering on some unwholesome practices, adding that a team had been deployed to investigate the claims, promising to make the findings known to all.
“He urged students who had accused some JAMB officials and other operatives such as CBT centres of extortion in the name of ‘regularisation’ or other services to provide credible evidence, adding that any staff found culpable would face the full wrath of the law.”
Meanwhile, Prof. Oloyede commended the staff of the board for their honesty and diligence, saying, “In terms of honesty, I can vouch for over 99 percent of JAMB staff, but any bad eggs will be identified and dealt with appropriately.”
The PUNCH reported that in March, a businesswoman, Mrs. Ifeanyi Eke, filed a N100m suit against JAMB and three others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unsolicited and inappropriate text messages sent to her and her 15-year-old daughter. Joined as co-respondents in the suit are Island Computer College Limited, one Mr. Jibola, and Regina Bassey.
On January 29, JAMB announced the arrest of some registration officers of a Computer-Based Test Centre in connection with a social media outburst by a mother who alleged that her 15-year-old daughter was being approached by a staff of the supposed centre via a chat on the X platform.
The mother, in her originating summons filed through her lawyer, Olumide Babalola, asked the court for a declaration that the sending of unsolicited and inappropriate text messages to her daughter by Mr. Ajibola constituted an interference with her daughter’s right to private and family life guaranteed by Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has given all tertiary institutions in the country one month to disclose all admissions conducted outside its Central Admissions Processing System before 2017.
The Public Communication Advisor for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, on behalf of the board’s registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, on Sunday, said the directive was aimed at enhancing transparency and fairness in the admissions process.
“The attention of the board has been drawn to the predilection of some institutions to admit candidates outside the approved Central Admissions Processing System platform and process such through the condonement of illegal admissions window to accord legitimacy.
“To close this abused window, the board has decided that all institutions should now (or never) disclose all candidates illegally admitted prior to 2017, whose records are in their system within the next one month, beginning from 1st August 2024.
“And any admission purportedly given prior to 2017 will no longer be recognised or condoned unless disclosed within this one-month window.
“Institutions are advised to comply with this directive as there will not be any further condonement of hitherto unrecorded candidates who did not even register with JAMB, not to talk of sitting for any entrance examination.
“This move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions and falsification of records while ensuring compliance with the provisions of CAPS,” the statement read.
He said the decision marked the end of the condonement of illegal admissions window, which previously allowed institutions to incorporate unauthorised admissions into the system.
Benjamin highlighted concerns over institutions colluding with candidates to falsify details for illegal admissions; a development he said had led to fraudulent participation in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
He said despite warnings, some institutions continued to admit candidates outside CAPS and seek Condonement of Undisclosed Illegal Institutional Admission.
“Consequently, the board is terminating the aspect of the CUIIA process which allows completely unregistered candidates (without registration) to be introduced to the system.
“CAPS is the only authorised platform for admissions. Those who even have registration but were illegally admitted between the period (2017-2020) would soon be denied the opportunity of the waiver unless they are disclosed within the next one month.
“Therefore, all institutions are hereby directed to disclose, for the final time, all candidates admitted illegally within their systems. Moving forward, the board will not tolerate any undisclosed admission by any institution,” he said.
On the issue of the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 session, the board maintained that the minimum age for admission remained 16 years.
“For the 2024 admission cycle, candidates who will be at least 16 years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible.
“This decision follows the directive from the chairman of the 2024 tertiary admission policy meeting, who is also the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, that the extant policy of 6-3-3-4 be enforced only from the 2025 session.
“The alarming avalanche of obviously false affidavits and upsurge of doctored upward age adjustments on NIN slips being submitted to JAMB to upgrade recorded age is dangerous, inimical and unnecessary. Those below 16 would not and should not be admitted in accordance with the decision of the 2024 Policy Meeting,” he said.
Benjamin further expressed concern over the new trend of a strange admissions practice labelled “Daily-Part-Time” by certain polytechnics and “Top Up” by some universities.
According to him, a recent and particularly egregious example of this was the advertisement placed by Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, in Oyo State, published in the Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, inviting candidates to apply for its two-year Daily-Part-Time programme.
“It is crucial to clarify that no such programmes are approved by the National Board for Technical Education nor by the National Universities Commission. Both are also alien to the education system in Nigeria.
“They are fraudulent devices to side-line quality, approved quota for full-time admission, falsify records and consequently, rake illegitimate income and derail the ambition and career of innocent (and some equally crooked) candidates.
“The candidates with zero or abysmally low UTME scores are rationally attracted to such contraption which would lead to nowhere.
“Part-time programmes are strictly regulated, allowing institutions to admit only up to 150 per cent of the approved full-time capacity. However, some institutions have been found to admit an excessive number of candidates through this unrecognised DPT programme, merging them with full-time students in classrooms and purporting to graduate them at the same time as full-time students,” he noted.
Universities and other tertiary institutions across the country have come under intense scrutiny and criticism following their decision to implement a minimum Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) cut-off score of 140 for 2024 admissions for universities.
LEADERSHIP report that Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, had at the recent 2024 policy meeting of tertiary tnstitutions pegged 140 as a cut-off mark for admission into the university category of higher education.
This is just as the Rectors and Provosts also fixed 100 as the minimum cut-off point mark for admission into polytechnics and colleges of education respectively.
Since 2018 to 2023, the cutoff marks for universities have been consistently set at 160, while polytechnics and colleges of education have been set at 120 and 100 respectively.
The JAMB cut off marks for Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education from 2018 to date indicated thus;
In 2021, the cut off mark for Universities was 160, Polytechnics 120 and Colleges of Education 100.
In 2020, Universities had 160, Polytechnics 120 while Colleges of Education had 100 cut off mark.
Meanwhile, Universities had 160, Polytechnics 120 and Colleges of Education 100 in 2019 admission cycle while in 2018, Universities had 160, polytechnics 120 and colleges of education 100.
Although specific institutions are at liberty to set higher cutoff marks depending on factors such as the competitiveness of their programmes and the number of available spaces, critics have argued that such a move compromises the quality of education and diminishes the competitiveness of graduates in the job market.
Concerns have also been raised about whether students admitted under these conditions will possess the necessary academic rigor and competence expected at the tertiary level.
Educators and parents alike have voiced their concerns, emphasising the need to uphold stringent admission standards to maintain the integrity and excellence of Nigerian universities.
Some stakeholders fear that lowering the cut-off score could lead to a decline in educational standards and a reduction in the global competitiveness of graduates.
Speaking on the development, a parent who base in Lugbe, Abuja Innocent Bunde lamented that institutions should at least fix minimum cut off mark at 180 in order to push the students to study hard.
According to him, “The Education system in Nigeria has really going down, if not how can 140 be cut-off mark for JAMB? I’m sure very soon they will reduce it to 100 for universities. During our time it was competitive if you can’t score 180 to 200 then you have to wait till next year.
“This is totally wrong. You can’t keep lowering our standard of education so that some people can meet up.
This is the lowest of it all. The federal ministry of education need to review this and work with tertiary institutions in order to uplift the standard and quality of graduates we produce,” he added.
An educationist, Mathew Nyiekaa also blamed the low cut off mark, saying that education is crumbling in Nigeria.
When i was looking for admission – if you no get between 220 – 250 and above forget university – But look at the effect of TikTok, Asuu strike and many other factors –
“The minimum of 140 to enter university is really low. The minimum should at least be 180.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Universities across the country have pegged admission cut-off mark at 140.
The Board has also fixed 100 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into polytechnics and colleges of education, respectively.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this at the 2024 Policy Meeting of Tertiary Institutions in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting, which is currently ongoing at the time of this report, had in attendance the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, vice-chancellors, rectors and registrars of higher institutions and other stakeholders.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Thursday, unveiled the list of the top scorers in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The announcement was made by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during the ongoing policy meeting of the Board in Abuja.
The scores range between 363 to 367, which is the highest in this year’s examination.
Hereunder are the top scorers of 2024 UTME:
1. Olowu David – 367 (Ondo State)
2. Alayande David – 367 (Oyo State)
3. Orukpe Joel – 367 (Edo State)
4. Emmanuel Jeremiah – 366 (Akwa Ibom State)
5. Essiet Etini – 365 (Akwa Ibom State)
6. Ezenwoko Zara – 365 (Abia State)
7. Umoh Joshua – 365 (Akwa Ibom State)
8. Mamudu Abdulraham – 364 (Edo State)
9. Adeleke Abdulbasit – 363 (Kwara State)
10. Echem Victor – 363 (Rivers State)
11. Etute Emmanuel – 363 (Edo State)
12. Jedidiah Chidiebube – 363 (Imo State)
13. Adesanya Oluwatimilehin – 363 (Ogun State)
Prof. Oloyede praised the students for their exceptional performance and highlighted the competitive nature of this year’s examination. He noted, “The dedication and hard work of these students are commendable, and their scores reflect the high standards we aim to uphold in our examinations.”
The top scorers hail from various states across Nigeria, showcasing the diverse talent pool in the country. Olowu David, Alayande David, and Orukpe Joel all achieved the highest score of 367, representing Ondo, Oyo, and Edo States respectively. Close behind is Emmanuel Jeremiah from Akwa Ibom State with a score of 366.
Prof. Oloyede encouraged all UTME candidates to continue striving for excellence, emphasising that the Board remained committed to maintaining the integrity and credibility of its examinations.
As the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) convenes its crucial policy meeting today (Thursday), prospective students across Nigeria have anticipated the decisions that will shape their academic futures for the 2024 admissions cycle.
The JAMB gathering is set to hold significant weight, influencing admission criteria, eligibility requirements, and procedural guidelines for universities nationwide.
Amidst the policy meeting’s deliberations, students and parents are keenly focused on potential changes that could impact their admission prospects.
Key discussions in the meeting would typically revolve around cut-off marks, the adoption of new examination formats, and adjustments to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) syllabus.
According to a statement released by JAMB, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, will chair the 2024 policy meeting, slated for Thursday, July 18, in Abuja.
The board, in its weekly news bulletin, stated: “This year’s exercise will also feature the National Tertiary Admissions’ Performance-Merit Award, NATAP-M Awards, where the overall winner will receive N500 million, and other consolation winners will share N250 million collectively.
”The policy meeting, usually attended by vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics, monotechnics, and innovation enterprise institutes, provosts of colleges of education, and other critical stakeholders, will consider and approve the guidelines for the 2024 admission exercise.
“The meeting will review the performance of the 2023 admissions exercise and the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME performance of candidates.
“The minimum admission scores, an aggregation of individual institutions’ submissions, will be approved at the meeting.
“This is not a cut-off mark, as often misconstrued, but a minimum score that no institution should go below. The decisions made at the meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, form the guiding norms for admission and are a collective decision, not solely that of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
“No institution is expected to commence the admission process until after the policy meeting, as the guidelines regulating the year’s admission exercise are determined at the meeting with the endorsement of the Minister of Education.
“The meeting declares the commencement of the year’s admission exercise, setting the grand norms, and any institution that violates these collective norms will face sanctions.”
One of the prospective students, Happiness Chris, expressed her anticipation and hope during today’s JAMB policy meeting.
“I’m eagerly awaiting the decisions today. It’s a pivotal moment for us prospective students aiming for 2024 admissions in tertiary institutions.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the cancellation of the aptitude test for 2024 Direct Entry candidates.
In a statement released on its official X account on Monday, JAMB revealed that alternative criteria would be used for Direct Entry admissions.
The statement read, “Attention 2024 DE Candidates! This is to inform you that the Board has shelved the conduct of the aptitude test for the year. Other placement criteria shall be considered for your admission while adequate preparation goes into the exercise ahead of next year.”
JAMB assured that all necessary processes had been established for the commencement of admissions into the nation’s tertiary institutions.
Additionally, JAMB announced that the 2024 edition of the annual policy meeting will take place on Thursday, July 18, in Abuja.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, will chair the meeting, which will officially authorise the start of this year’s admission cycle.
A bulletin published on X highlighted, “This year’s exercise will also feature the National Tertiary Admissions’ Performance-Merit Award, NATAP-M Awards, where the overall winner will receive N500 million, and other consolation winners will share N250 million collectively.”
The policy meeting, a significant event in the academic calendar, is attended by vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics, monotechnics, innovation enterprise institutes, provosts of colleges of education, and other key stakeholders.
During the meeting, guidelines for the 2024 admission exercise will be reviewed and approved.
The meeting will also review the performance of the 2023 admissions exercise and the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
“The minimum admission scores, an aggregation of individual institutions’ submissions, will be approved at the meeting,” the bulletin stated, adding,”This is not a cut-off mark, as often misconstrued, but a minimum score that no institution should go below.”
The outcomes of the policy meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, set the standards for admissions and represent a collective decision rather than solely that of JAMB.
“No institution is expected to commence the admission process until after the policy meeting, as the guidelines regulating the year’s admission exercise are determined at the meeting with the endorsement of the Minister of Education,” the statement emphasised.
JAMB added that institutions that fail to adhere to these collectively agreed norms will face sanctions, reinforcing the importance of the policy meeting in maintaining the integrity and orderliness of the admission process.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that it has successfully conducted the foreign component of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in eight countries.
According to the Board, the examinations, which were held on Saturday, July 13, were designed for foreign candidates seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
It listed the cities where the examinations were held to include, London, United Kingdom; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Buea, Cameroon; Accra, Ghana; Cotonou, Benin Republic; Johannesburg, South Africa; Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, and Banjul, The Gambia.
JAMB, in its weekly Bulletin obtained in Abuja, noted that by conducting the UTME in the foreign locations, the Board aimed to showcase Nigerian tertiary institutions to a global audience, placing them at par with their international counterparts.
“This initiative has successfully attracted international students to Nigerian universities. Furthermore, JAMB has incorporated the number of foreign students admitted by an institution as a criterion for the NATAP M-Award, recognizing institutions that excel in international student recruitment,” it stated.
Meanwhile, the Board has reaffirmed that the 2024 admission exercise will soon commence as arrangements have been concluded for the Admission Policy Meeting on Thursday, July 18.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, will chair the 2024 policy meeting, which authorises the commencement of the year’s admission exercise.
The Board further indicated that this year’s exercise would also feature the National Tertiary Admissions’ Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M Awards), where the overall winner would receive N500 million and other consolation winners would share N250 million collectively.
Analysis of data on the admissions conducted for the 2022/2023 academic session in Nigerian universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions of learning revealed that 88 institutions conducted admissions outside of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS.)
According to JAMB, admissions conducted outside CAPS are illegal, null and void.
In a statement titled, ‘Cessation of illegal/irregular admission’, JAMB reiterated that all applications of admissions to First Degree, National Diploma, National Innovation Diploma and the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) into full-time, distance learning, part-time, outreach, sandwich, etc., must be processed only through JAMB.
The report tagged, ‘Compiled assessment of institutions on compliance with the 2022/2023 admission guidelines’, scored institutions who complied fully with admission guidelines 10 points; those with partial compliance were scored five points, while those institutions who failed to comply were awarded zero point.
Under the section for the conduct of full admissions on CAPS, our correspondent observed that 88 institutions failed to comply.
Some of the erring institutions are the University of Uyo, University of Abuja, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Yaba College of Technology, Plateau State University, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Coal City University, Crawford University, Crescent University, Ebonyi State University, Rhema University, Borno State University, Chrisland University, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Alvan Ikoku College of Education, and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu University.
Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has warned tertiary institutions, especially universities to stop admitting underage children.
Oloyede who stated this at the opening of the seventh biennial conference of
the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos, said the ‘illegal’ practice of admitting underage needed to be aborted.
The Registrar pleaded that for the sake of accountability, data protection, and integrity of the nation, the act needed to stop because anything irregular was illegal.
“About two months ago, I received a letter from an European country to confirm if a student actually graduated from a particular university because she is 15 years old and applied for postgraduate course.
“The question they asked me is “is this possible in Nigeria? I had to call the Vice Chancellor of the institution and he confirmed the student graduated from the university but was not admitted by JAMB.
“He had to include that he was not the VC at the time the student was admitted,” Oloyede said.
Oloyede noted that state-owned universities must do a lot in this situation, stressing that they are more in number than federal universities.
“Also, illegal admission of diploma students needs to stop because last year, we admitted 9,000 diploma students, I was alarmed that about 3,000 students came from a particular university.
“Everyone of us should be accountable because all these acts can damage our education system,” Oloyede said.
The former Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, urged the pro-chancellors to make plan of action on how they could make their institutions as competent and attractive as federal and private universities.
Gambari emphasised that doing so would ensure that they were able to retain some of the best faculty and staff which attracted the best in the pool of eligible students.
“State-owned universities must explore how best to carve out specific niches which inevitably place them in a position to exploit corresponding comparative advantages that enhance their position.
“Successfully executing this, a foundation for brand creation and recognition is ascertained,” he said.
Chairman of COPSUN, Sen. Joshua Lidani, said that the discussion included many issues that had to do with governance in the university system.
Lidani who is the Pro-Chancellor of the Gombe State University, said there were currently several challenges confronting the university system and tertiary education generally.
“Some of these challenges include corrupt practices, impersonation, ‘miracle’ exam centres, inadequate funding, and proliferation of universities.
“Others are discriminate and premature dissolution of governing councils and boards of tertiary educational institutions and delay in reconstituting them,” he said.
Lidani added that apart from the illegality of these acts, a huge vacuum was usually left in the administration of the institution leading to all kinds of anomalies.
“Incessant strike action by ASUU and other labour unions and the attendant consequences in stability, quality and standards.
“These are definitely not exhaustive but are symptomatic of the deep malaise that is affecting the system and extent of the problem.
“Of course, this conference alone will not be able to address the problem but it can raise public consciousness and alarm at the threat posed to good governance, standards and quality in the tertiary educational system,” he said.
The COPSUN chairman expressed confidence that the conference can point the way forward and advice on the way stakeholders can play better and rightful role in uplifting the standards of education in the country.