The Senate has mandated its Committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Tertiary Education and Tedfund, to investigate alleged admission racketeering and other unwholesome practices by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
Nigeriacrime.com learned that it was sequel to a motion titled: “Urgent need to curtail the practice of undisclosed admissions and other unwholesome practices by JAMB and Universities, particularly the University of Nigeria, Nsukka,” sponsored by Sen. Nwebonyi Onyeka Peter (APC, Ebonyi North)
While presenting his motion, Senator Peter said, “The Senate:
Notes that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), was established in 1978, originally, with the mandate to regulate admissions into Nigeria Universities through the university matriculation examination (UME);
“Also notes that the duties of JAMB were later expanded to include regulating admissions into other higher or tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria, prompting the change of nomenclature of the entrance examination from the UME to the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), to include entrance into Nigerian Universities, Polytechnics, Mono-technics, and Colleges of Education;
“Further notes that JAMB initially offered provisional admissions into tertiary institutions on awaiting result status but stopped it on the ground that many applicants who were offered such admissions abused the awaiting result life-line by not obtaining the qualifying results for the admissions till their graduation;
“Informed that the authorities of Tertiary Institutions, in cahoots with some JAMB officials have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Law, Engineering, Nursing Science, etc. intending to short-change some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification.
He equally said, “Also informed of the travails of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 290 others who were admitted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria Nsukka but had their admissions truncated on the order of JAMB for No plausible reason, after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures.”
Senator Peter cited the case of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe, who he said scored 291 out of 400 available marks 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;
According to him, the Senate was informed that 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.
He further noted that, even though she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still not yet certain as to whether she is duly admitted to the Department of Medicine and Surgery or Medical Laboratory Science;
The federal lawmaker expressed worry that 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
He also said the Senate was “worried by the fact that these children who bestirred themselves to make good grades in their UTME are being made to pay the necessary fees, undergo the rigorous processes of registration and matriculation, resume lectures, and sometimes, even take semester examinations, only to be transferred to other less competitive courses by the universities in connivance with JAMB without any plausible explanations, thereby destroying their ambitions in the course of the unholy act of course swap.
He also expressed the Senate’s concern “that the psycho-emotional trauma this unexplained course swap bears on the victims is so devastating that it is capable of leading the individuals to depression, loss of enthusiasm, and worse even, leading some of the victims into crimes; and also that such uncertainty and unfair treatment as meted out to Miss Chinyere Ekwe could cause the aspiring young girl irredeemable emotional trauma and loss of confidence in the Nigerian state;
“And Further concerned that such unwholesome practices put our educational system in jeopardy, cause apathy on the side of ordinary Nigerians, and also dampen the renewed hope this government stands for.”
He prayed that the Senate resolve to compel JAMB to give an Admission Letter to Miss Chinyere Ekwe to study Medicine and Surgery Science without further delay.
However, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said, the allegations contained in the motion were weighty and that it would be hasty for the Senate to take a stand without first carrying out a thorough investigation.
After conferring with his colleagues, Akpabio constituted the joint committee to investigate the matter and report back to the Senate before the Senate could take a definite stand. This position was unanimously adopted by all Senators present.