The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered tertiary institutions found to have violated admission guidelines to immediately reverse such admissions.
The board said investigations revealed instances where candidates with higher rankings were allegedly bypassed in favour of others with lower scores, a practice it described as a clear breach of established admission rules.
The directive was contained in JAMB’s weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja by its Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin.
According to the bulletin, “The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board 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.”
JAMB said it had taken firm action against the affected institutions, adding, “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 board restated that admissions into tertiary institutions are governed by a three-tier structure—Merit, Catchment Area and Educationally Less Developed States—under which ranking remains the primary criterion at every stage.
It explained that candidates must be selected strictly in order of ranking, stressing that “any situation in which a better-ranked candidate is skipped for a lower-ranked candidate under any of these categories will not be tolerated.”
Meanwhile, JAMB dismissed a separate allegation by a candidate who claimed she was unfairly denied admission by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, despite scoring high marks.
The board said its findings showed that the candidate was not disadvantaged, as several applicants with higher rankings were ahead of her.
“Consequently, her non-admission was in line with due process, as she did not rank high enough to fall within the selected limit,” JAMB stated.
While acknowledging that some institutions breached admission rules, the board clarified that the complainant was not among those affected by the irregularities identified.
Reaffirming its stance on fairness, JAMB said it remained committed to ensuring that no candidate with a higher ranking is displaced by one with a lower ranking during the admission process.
The board also cautioned candidates against spreading unverified claims on social media, urging them to seek clarification through official channels.
“Candidates are advised not to allow themselves to be used by individuals seeking attention or followership through baseless allegations. Claims of admission irregularities should always be verified through appropriate and official channels,” it added.
