The Senate has mandated its Committees on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Tertiary Education and TETFund, to analyze alleged admission racketeering and different unwholesome practices by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

This was a sequel to a movement 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 movement, Mr Peter mentioned, “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. to shortchange some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification.

“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.”

Mr Peter cited the case of 1 Chinyere Ekwe, who he mentioned scored 291 out of 400 accessible marks within the 2019 UTME and 300 within the college’s post-UTME, which certified her for the course and was subsequently admitted by the college.

According to him, the Senate was knowledgeable that the mentioned Miss Ekwe was transferred to the division of Medical Laboratory Science on the bottom that if her cumulative grade level was as much as 4.5 factors after the primary yr, she can be transferred again to medication and surgical procedure.

He, due to this fact, prayed that the Senate resolve to compel JAMB to present an admission letter to Miss Ekwe to review Medicine and Surgery Science with out additional delay.

However, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio mentioned the allegations contained within the movement have been weighty and that it could be hasty for the Senate to take a stand with out first finishing up an intensive investigation.

After conferring together with his colleagues, Mr Akpabio constituted the joint committee to analyze the matter and report again to the Senate earlier than the Senate might take a particular stand.