TheCable

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it welcomes the decision of the senate to probe alleged admission racketeering in universities.

Last week, the senate launched an investigation into allegations of admission racketeering in universities across the country.

This followed a motion by Onyeka Nwebonyi, the senator representing Ebonyi north, during the plenary on Wednesday.

Nwebonyi, who cited the admission travails of one Chinyere Ekwe at the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka alleged that university staff members conspired with JAMB’s officials to carry out unwholesome practices.

The motion prompted Senate President Godswill Akpabio to call for a fair hearing.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, Ishaq Oloyede, the registrar of JAMB, commended the senate for allowing the examination body to defend itself over the issue.

“Something happened in the senate when a motion was moved to take certain steps about what was alleged to be connivance between JAMB and some institutions on admission racketeering,” Oloyede said.

“But anything that appears negative also has a positive in it. The senate president said JAMB must be heard because JAMB has integrity.

“I want all of us to appreciate the senate president in particular and the entire senate for the wise counsel.”

Reacting to the incident at UNN, Oloyede said the affected candidate sat for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), where she scored 291.

According to the JAMB registrar, the candidate applied to study medicine and surgery at UNN.

He added that she was in the 241st position in the ranking of applicants for the medical programme at the university after all her other academic performances, including her post-UTME score, were calculated by the institution.

“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,” he added.

“The institution then recommended her for admission into the 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. ”

Oloyede said the university admitted above its given departmental quota in the medical laboratory and was told to reduce the number.

He said it was discovered that many other applicants who were admitted illegally 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.

“The university went beyond that, in March this year on the arrangement of the Honourable Minister that we cordone some illegality in admission between 2017 and 2020, they now recommended the girl as undisclosed admission – that is admission done under the table, and you can come in like that using the waiver of the Honourable Minister.”

He said that the central admission processing system (CAPS) of JAMB detected an issue with the admission having ranked in the distant 241 position, which made her stand no chance of being admitted.

Oloyede said the university ought to have followed all procedures of admitting candidates, starting from ensuring that they conform with the quota allocated to them and ranking order, which was ignored in this case.

The registrar assured the public that the board and its staff would be vindicated.

“The truth of the matter is that if she has a letter of provisional admission. It is not from JAMB,” Oloyede added.

“So we welcome the wise counsel of the senate president that the matter be investigated. We will cooperate with the senate.”