Illegal Admissions: JAMB Gives 366 Institutions Ultimatum, Candidates To Pay N5,000 Fine

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it has given a grace period of three months to 366 institutions found to have offered illegal admissions to regularise the status of the affected students.

Sunday PUNCH learnt that each of the affected students in the institutions would have to pay N5,000 each as a penalty.

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It would be recalled that the Registrar of JAMB, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, had during a policy meeting with stakeholders in Abuja announced that no fewer than 706,189 illegal admissions were given out by some institutions to unsuspecting members of the public.

In an interview with our correspondent, the spokesperson of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, had also added that the board would no longer condone the issue of illegal admissions.

In a document obtained by our correspondent, it was observed that a total of 114 universities, 135 polytechnics, 80 colleges of education, and 37 other institutions were responsible for the illegal admissions.

The document partly read, “The board introduced the Central Admissions Processing System in 2017 as the transparent platform for all admissions. Regrettably, some of the institutions continued to admit some, indeed, large numbers of candidates unknown to JAMB, thereby, jeopardising the interest of such candidates admitted through the under-the-table deals.

“Recent events made the candidates protest the disadvantages of such non-disclosure and lack of formal recognition of their degrees. Such institutions are now being compelled by necessity to confess their past deeds of undisclosed admissions.

Following this, the board advised the affected institutions to issue letters of confession with a list of students involved to the JAMB offices in their states.

“The institutions should first and foremost declare the number of candidates admitted outside CAPS by sending a formal letter of confession and disclosure to the registrar of JAMB, the letter of confession and disclosure should have a list of candidates attached. A copy of the letter and the list of candidates should be sent to the JAMB state office where the institution is located.

“If the board, upon receiving the letter after due scrutiny and investigation grants approval, the institution shall be contacted within two weeks of acknowledged receipt of the LCD. The portal is then opened for the institution to upload the list of candidates already submitted,” JAMB said.

“Only the candidates declared by the institutions are to visit JAMB’s office and complete the appropriate form online after paying the prescribed fee, that is the application fee of N4,000 only is paid by those without JAMB registration number for the year and N5,000 penalty fee paid by every candidate involved.

“The board shall not extend the grace period granted to each institution. Any candidate that does not complete the process within the allotted (two months) grace period loses the remedial opportunity”.

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