Admission horror in Nigerian universities

For decades, Nigerians have whispered about it. Parents lament it quietly. Students cry about it in private. But now, the whispers are becoming screams: the admission process in many Nigerian universities has collapsed into a full-blown horror show, a theatre of injustice where the qualified are disqualified and the unqualified are ushered in with red carpets and special smiles. And, of course, merit is being buried alive.

What used to be a subtle, shadowy practice has now grown fangs. It has become brazen, organised, industrialised and dangerously entrenched. If the authorities pretend not to see it any longer, the entire foundation of Nigerian higher education may crumble beyond repair.

THE NEW DIMENSION OF AN OLD DISEASE

Admission racketeering is not new. From Lagos to Lokoja, Enugu to Yola, everybody knows the game: influence beats merit, money beats brilliance, and “who sent you?” outweighs “what did you score?”

But something more sinister is happening now.

The racket is no longer a matter of a few corrupt officials collecting small envelopes. It has become an institutional culture. In many universities, especially in highly competitive courses like Medicine, Law, Pharmacy, and Engineering, the Vice Chancellors themselves are rumoured to hold the ultimate admission power. Not because they enjoy playing God, but because the powerful in society keep mounting pressure, carrying endless lists of sons, daughters, cousins, and godchildren.

By the time the VCs finish satisfying senators, judges, monarchs, and billionaire patrons, the remaining slots are too few to accommodate the best-performing candidates from ordinary homes.

This is how dreams die quietly, coldly, officially.

A SYSTEM THAT HAS SLIPPED OUT OF JAMB’S HANDS

Let’s be honest: JAMB seems to have lost control of university admissions.

CAPS, the so-called Central Admissions Processing System, is increasingly treated like a suggestion, not a law. Universities override quotas at will. They admit outside official lists. They create back-door channels. In some cases, students wake up to discover they were admitted “somewhere” without ever applying.

From Abia to Delta, from Osun to Kaduna, the stories echo each other like a nationwide nightmare.

And then comes Osun State, home to one of the most brazen offenders, a state university so notorious in this game that insiders openly call it the “grandmaster of admission deals”. Investigations are already swirling.

THE OAU SHOCKER: A CASE STUDY IN INJUSTICE

But nothing captures the madness better than what is currently unfolding at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

Forty-seven students who scored the maximum 16 points in JUPEB for Law, the highest possible score, have been denied admission. Instead of being rewarded for excellence, they have been unceremoniously pushed into unrelated courses like History and International Relations.

One heartbreaking case stands out like a wound.

A brilliant young man, the best JUPEB graduate in the entire programme this year, scored the perfect 16 points for Law. His O-level results sparkle:

Mathematics – B2

English – B3

Civics – B3

Yoruba – A1

CRS – A1

Government – B3

Literature – B3

Economics – B3

A stellar record. A complete package. A child any country should be proud to celebrate.

OAU’s response?

“Take History.”

This is not just unfair, it is wicked. It is morally bankrupt. And it demands a full-scale investigation.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS “ADMISSION IRREGULARITY”?

n plain language: Admission irregularity is any shady, unofficial, manipulative way institutions bend the rules to favour certain students over others.

It includes:

• admitting students outside JAMB’s official processes;
• granting access to applicants with influence, cash, or connections;
• ignoring quotas, merit lists, or admission timelines;
• falsifying records;
• taking bribes, often in the millions.

One lecturer was said to be collecting N2m – N5m per admission slot.
Another staff member in a university renegotiated a “Medicine slot” to “Nursing Science” after collecting N400,000 from a distraught parent.

This is not just corruption, it’s extortion wearing academic regalia.

WHY THE RICH WIN AND THE POOR LOSE

The equation is cruel but simple:

Money + Connection = Admission
Merit, Hard Work, Intelligence = Obstacle

Wealthy families deploy influence, call VCs directly, or pay middlemen. Some go through members of governing councils. Others go through state politicians who see university admissions as personal birthright.

The result?

A brilliant child from a poor home who played by the rules is pushed aside because someone else had “someone” to call.

One student on Reddit summarised it painfully: “When I look at some of my course mates, I begin to wonder how they got in.”

THE PRICE: A DEGREE THAT MEANS LESS AND LESS

When universities admit more students than they can teach, quality tanks.

Overcrowded classrooms.

Overworked, underpaid lecturers.

Poor lab facilities.

No proper mentoring.

A dilution of academic standards.

Between 2017 and 2020 alone, over one million illegal admissions were recorded across Nigerian universities.

What does this mean?

More dropouts.

More poorly trained graduates.

More unemployable degree holders.

Less trust in the entire education system.

And ultimately, a country that cannot produce the high-quality workforce it desperately needs.

This is probably why some children of the powerful rarely fight for space in our own universities. They quietly fly abroad, where systems work and merit still carries weight. You will hardly find them sweating over cut-off marks or chasing admission lists the way ordinary Nigerian students do.

And let’s be honest: when last did anyone hear that students from Europe, Asia, America, or even neighbouring African countries are trooping into Nigeria for university education? I certainly haven’t. In fact, I would be shocked, pleasantly shocked, to discover a long line of foreign applicants dying to study here. Our institutions should be magnets for talent, not places people flee from

WHY THE SYSTEM REFUSES TO FIX ITSELF

Because the people benefiting from the broken system are the ones who should fix it.

Power holders want admission slots for their children.

Universities need the illicit revenue.

Staff enjoy the side income from bribes.

Parents are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation.

Whistle-blowers often get punished.

So the cycle continues and expands.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Nigeria can break this monster’s back, but it requires courage and policy spine.

Here’s what must happen:

1. Enforce CAPS ruthlessly

No admission should happen outside JAMB’s portal.
No back door. No waiver. No exception.

2. Publish admission data openly

Cut-off marks, quotas, lists, and numbers should be public and reviewable.

3. Clean house annually.
Universities must undergo mandatory independent audits of their admission processes.

4. Punish offenders

Withdraw accreditation, fine institutions, prosecute staff, name and shame offenders.

5. Create more tertiary pathways

Not every student must fight for university. Fund polytechnics, vocational centres, skill academies.

6. Protect poor and brilliant students

Scholarships, merit guarantees, transparent selection processes.

7. Media pressure

Newspapers must place universities under constant scrutiny.

A NATION CAN COLLAPSE QUIETLY

A country does not fail only through coups or wars.
Sometimes, it collapses quietly, when integrity dies, and nobody notices.

Admission corruption is not just a university problem.
It is a national emergencyIf Nigeria cannot guarantee fairness at the gateway of education, then the future of our young people and the dignity of our nation is in grave danger.

This is not just an article. It is a call to action.

Tooki is a founder/editor, communication strategist, and public relations expert. He can be reached via [email protected]

Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheCable.