The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered some tertiary institutions to immediately reverse irregular admissions after discovering that higher-ranked candidates were bypassed in favour of lower-ranked applicants.
In a statement on Tuesday, the board said its attention was drawn to the unfair conduct of admissions by some institutions, describing the practice as a violation of established admission guidelines.
JAMB cautioned the affected institutions and directed that all such irregular admissions be reversed without delay, stressing that strict compliance with admission rules is non-negotiable.
The board explained that the admission process operates under a three-tier policy of Merit, Catchment Area and Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS). According to JAMB, selection under each category must strictly follow ranking, with candidates having higher scores given priority before others.
“Any situation where a better-ranked candidate is skipped for a lower-ranked one under any category will not be tolerated,” the board said.
However, JAMB dismissed a recent allegation circulating online that a candidate with a high score was unfairly denied admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
Following an investigation, the board said the candidate was not disadvantaged, as several candidates with higher rankings were ahead of her on the admission list. Her non-admission, JAMB noted, was therefore in line with due process and the institution’s admission limit.
While acknowledging that cases of irregular admissions were found in some institutions and have been corrected, the board emphasised that the said candidate was not among those affected.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that no higher-ranked candidate is displaced by a lower-ranked one in the admission process.
The board also advised candidates to avoid being misled by individuals on social media who raise unfounded allegations for attention or personal gain.
Candidates were urged to verify claims of admission irregularities through official and appropriate channels before sharing or promoting such information.
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