The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has instructed the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and other institutions involved in irregular admissions to reverse them immediately.
The Board said it was alerted to a practice in some tertiary institutions where higher-ranked candidates were allegedly being overlooked in favour of lower-ranked applicants.
It made this known in its weekly bulletin released by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, on Monday in Abuja.
While calling for the reversal of irregular admissions, the Board urged tertiary institutions to strictly follow the official guidelines for candidate selection and admission.
The statement said, “The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 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 Board has cautioned the affected institutions and directed the immediate reversal of such irregular admissions. Notwithstanding these reversals, JAMB reiterates its call on all institutions to strictly adhere to the established guidelines governing the selection and admission of candidates.
“The admission process operates on a three-tier policy of Merit, Catchment Area, and Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS). Each tier is guided strictly by ranking (Merit), such that candidates with higher rankings must be selected first, followed by others in descending order. Any situation in which a better-ranked candidate is skipped for a lower-ranked candidate under any of these categories will not be tolerated by the Board.”
JAMB, however, dismissed a recent claim by a candidate who alleged that UNN bypassed her for admission despite a high score.
The Board said the candidate in question was not disadvantaged, as higher-ranked candidates were ahead of her on the list.
The statement added, “Consequently, her non-admission was in line with due process of her not ranking high enough to be on the selected limit.
“While the Board observed instances where some better-ranked candidates were indeed skipped and had ordered the reversal of those admissions, the said candidate was not affected by such irregularities.
“JAMB remains resolute in ensuring that no candidate with a higher ranking is displaced by a lower-ranked candidate in the admission process.
“The Board therefore advises candidates to refrain from allowing themselves to be used by individuals seeking attention or followership on social media through baseless allegations. Candidates are urged to verify claims of admission irregularities through appropriate and official channels before lending credence to or promoting such allegations.”
