The Nigerian Senate has summoned the minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede and the University of Nigeria Vice Chancellor, Prof Charles Igwe Arizechukwu over alleged unwholesome practices.
The red chamber said the move is to curtail the practice of undisclosed admissions and other unwholesome practices by JAMB and universities, particularly the University of Nigeria Nsukka UNN.
These resolutions of the upper chamber followed a debate on a motion by the Senator representing Ebonyi North, Peter Nwebonyi.
The Lawmaker stated that the authorities of Tertiary Institutions, in connivance with some JAMB officials, have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like medicine and surgery, pharmacy, law, Engineering, and nursing science, intending to shortchange some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification.
Senator Nwebonyi cited the case of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 250 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 reason after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures.
He noted that Miss Ekwe scored 291 in the 2019 UTME and 300 in the university’s post-UTME, which qualified her for the course, and the university subsequently admitted her.
He further informed the senators that Chinyere Ekwe was transferred to the Department of Medical Laboratory Science because if her cumulative grade point was up to 4.5 points after the first year, she would be transferred back to medicine and surgery.
However, even though she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still uncertain whether she is duly admitted to the Department of Medicine and Surgery or Medical Laboratory Science.
He says these children who had good grades in their UTME are being made to pay the necessary fees, undergo the rigorous processes of registration and enrollment, 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 explanations.
After the debate, the leadership of the Senate declined to adopt any of the prayers, recommending that the motion be referred to the committees on public petitions and tertiary Institutions for further legislative action.
