The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has pledged to cooperate with the Senate to probe alleged admission racketeering, particularly in the case of one Chinyere Ekwe at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made the pledge on Sunday in Abuja, during this year’s Customer Service Week of the board, according to a statement.
Oloyede said JAMB welcomed the Senate probe, adding that the examination body was grateful that the Senate chose to invite it to speak to the issue.
The Senate had on Wednesday resolved to investigate allegations of admission racketeering in universities, following a motion by Senator Onyeka Nwebonyi representing Ebonyi North.
Nwebonyi, who cited the admission travails of one Ekwe at the UNN, alleged that some university staff conspired with JAMB officials to carry out unwholesome practices. His motion prompted the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to call for a fair hearing, saying JAMB was known to be a reputable institution.
Reacting to the development during this year’s Customer Service Week of the board in Abuja, Oloyede, according to a statement by the board on Sunday, commended the Senate for giving the exam body an opportunity to defend itself.
The statement quoted him as saying, “Anything that appears negative also has a positive in it. The Senate President said JAMB must be heard because JAMB has integrity. I want all of us to appreciate the Senate President in particular, and the entire Senate for the wise counsel. We thank them sincerely and we say thank you for giving us the opportunity to be heard.”
Clarifying the major issue raised in the allegation, Oloyede said the candidate sat the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and scored 291.
He explained that the female applicant, who applied to study Medicine and Surgery at UNN, was in 241 positions in the ranking of applicants for the medical programme in the university after her other academic performances, including her post-UTME score, were calculated by the institution.