Senate To Investigates Alleged Admission Racketeering In Nigerian Universities

The Nigerian Senate has mandated its Committees on Education and Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to investigate the alleged illegal practice of admissions into some Universities in the country.

This is sequence to a motion of “Urgent Need to curtail the practice of undisclosed admissions and other unwholesome practice by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Universities, particularly University of Nigeria, Nsukka” sponsored by Senator Onyeka Peter Nwebonyi, representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District.

Senator Nwebonyi said some Tertiary Institutions, in cahoots with some JAMB officials reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses thereby shortchanging genuine admitted students in exchange for gratification.

“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 Sciences, etc. with view to shortchanging some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification,” he submitted.

Senator Nwebonyi also said 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 cited the travails of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 290 others who were admitted to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), but had their admissions truncated on the order of JAMB for no plausible reason after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures.

After an extensive deliberation in the plenary by the Senators, they expressed concern that such unwholesome practices put the nation’s educational system in jeopardy, cause apathy on the side of ordinary Nigerians and as well dampen the renewed hope the government stands for.

The Nigerian Legislature then mandated its Committees on Education and Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions to summon the Ministry of Education, JAMB and UNN authority to come an defend the allegations against them before further recommendations.

The Committees will report back their findings to the Senate in two weeks time.