The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has directed tertiary institutions involved in irregular admission practices to immediately reverse such admissions.
The board said it discovered cases where candidates with higher rankings were allegedly ignored, while those with lower scores were admitted, a situation it described as a clear violation of admission guidelines.
The directive was contained in JAMB’s weekly bulletin released in Abuja and signed by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin. According to the board, reports reaching it showed that some institutions were not following the approved admission process.
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“The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has been drawn to the conduct of admissions by some tertiary institutions, where higher-ranked candidates are reportedly being bypassed in favour of lower-ranked candidates,” the bulletin stated.
JAMB said it had taken firm steps against the affected schools, adding that such admissions must be reversed without delay. “The board has cautioned the affected institutions and directed the immediate reversal of such irregular admissions,” it said, while urging all institutions to strictly comply with admission rules.
The board explained that admissions into Nigerian tertiary institutions are guided by a three-tier system of Merit, Catchment Area and Educationally Less Developed States, stressing that ranking remains the deciding factor at every level.
“Each tier is guided strictly by ranking, such that candidates with higher rankings must be selected first,” JAMB said, warning that any situation where a better-ranked candidate is skipped for a lower-ranked one would not be accepted.
Meanwhile, JAMB dismissed a complaint by a candidate who claimed she was unfairly denied admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, despite having high scores. The board said its findings showed that several candidates ranked higher than her were admitted ahead of her.
“Consequently, her non-admission was in line with due process, as she did not rank high enough to fall within the selected limit,” the board said, adding that the complainant was not affected by the irregularities earlier identified.
While admitting that some institutions breached admission rules, JAMB clarified that the candidate’s case did not fall among those violations. “The said candidate was not affected by such irregularities,” it noted.
Reaffirming its position, the board said it remains committed to fairness in the admission process and will not allow candidates with lower rankings to displace those who performed better.
JAMB also warned candidates against spreading unverified claims online, advising them to seek clarification through official channels. It cautioned that some individuals exploit such allegations on social media for attention, urging candidates to confirm issues properly before promoting them.
