JAMB should stop overcharging admission seekers — UNILAG don
A Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Adelaja Odukoya has accused the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of overbilling prospective students seeking admission into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions in the name of sitting for its mandatory Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The don also faulted the board for its central exam idea, describing the system as old-fashion and total infringement on the principle of university autonomy in the country.
Prof Odukoya, who is the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, UNILAG, and Lagos Zone coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) comprising seven universities, shared this thought and perspectives while delivering the university’s sixth inaugural lecture under the current academic session, on Wednesday.
His lecture, titled: “Armageddon” attracted no fewer than 2,500 attendees from both the public and private sectors who were either present on campus or joined virtually through Zoom.
According to him, I don’t know why our public universities have turned blind eyes and ignored the infractions of JAMB.
“We are practically allowing JAMB and its registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede to get away with blue-murder in their intrusive foray to the universities space and the exploitative of hapless admission seekers through unending spurious charges for uploading, downloading, checking of results and other detectable manners.
“The don added, “”We should be reminded that JAMB was not created and should not operate as a revenue generation arm of government.
“The money made by JAMB is the rightful revenue of the various universities to which the candidates applied.
“But JAMB has become a big behemoth whose utility has since expired, and it is time we staged the requiem mass for it.
“Universities should be allowed to admit their students without the meddlesomeness of a middleman institution whose claim is not in creating more access for students desperate for admission into higher institutions and with ease but being the admission body with the largest online presence in Africa.
“About two million candidates sit for JAMB’s entrance exam, which is strictly online every year with only about a quarter of them will be able to secure admission even while the board usually declares money surplus from the exercise.
“So, can someone please tell JAMB it can claim its trophy, which is of no value, as the world has moved on beyond centralized admission,”
Similarly, Prof Odukoya also accused the political class of selfishness and greediness as many of them amassed wealth that they didn’t even need at the expense of the masses while equally preferring to see the system working in their favour and further expanding the already huge gap between them and the poor rather than pursuing equitable and fair socio-economic system.
The inaugural lecturer noted that it is important that Nigeria and Africa as a whole change this narrative and are now concerned about leadership that works towards achieving collective goals, social justice and the wellbeing of citizens.
According to him, Nigeria and Africa by extension ought not to be plagued as they currently are with high levels of poverty, insecurity, disease, malnutrition, illiteracy, social disorganization, indebtedness, energy poverty, maladministration, bad governance, underdevelopment, especially considering their abundant human and material resources, but for corruption and opulent lifestyle and greed of many of the ruling class and the dictate of the western world, among others.
While cautioning that Nigeria and Africa at large must not slip into the abyss of global irrelevance and mockery, Odukoya advocated concerted efforts of the citizens including intellectuals and professionals to join hands in producing non-greedy, non-self-centred leaders that will move the continent to the path of glory.
He however, expressed appreciation to the management of UNILAG and family members including his wife, as well as former teachers and colleagues for their respective contributions to his journey in life and the opportunity to deliver the lecture, praying God to reward them.
In her remark at the event, the vice-chancellor of UNILAG, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, who was represented by the deputy vice-chancellor (academics and research), Prof Bola Oboh, eulogized the virtues of the inaugural lecturer, describing him as a great scholar and fearless defender of the powerless.
According to her, Prof Odukoya is a thorough-bred alumnus of UNILAG and has served and continues to serve the university meritoriously, in several capacities.
Ogunsola expressed optimism that his lecture would not only add to peoples’ knowledge but also provoke positive change towards Africa’s socio-economic and political development.
“So, by this your rich and well-delivered inaugural lecture, you are hereby counted among the high-profile professors, who have paid their due in the university system and therefore you are discharged and acquitted,” the VC submitted.
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