Stop extorting admission seekers, ASUP spokesman warns JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been urged by the National Publicity Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Abdullahi Yelwa, to stop “extorting” Nigerians who are seeking admission into higher institutions.

Yelwa made this call when he delivered a paper as a guest speaker at the Bauchi South Stakeholders Interactive Session organised by the Senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba Umar, at the weekend.

Yelwa said JAMB, which is supposed to be a service-oriented government institution, has turned into a revenue-generating organ, causing untold hardship to Nigerians because of the extortion.

“JAMB is extorting Nigerians, causing unnecessary hardship on Nigerians, and also blocking opportunities instead of expanding and increasing opportunities for enrollment in tertiary institutions,” Yelwa said.

“The so-called four choices in JAMB or UMTE are just an illusion because, in reality and practice, there’s only one choice of institution. No matter what your score is, if you cannot get admission in the current session, your score is worthless, and you’ll have to do it again.

“They are concentrating on revenue generation and this issue of changing institutions constantly because any institution that is not your first choice cannot give you admission. So, there’s no point in making second, third, or fourth choices if you can’t get admission there.

“You must go back to JAMB, and you must pay and change the institution. So, JAMB should stop misleading Nigerians; they should stop squandering the resources of Nigerians; and we should respect these choices. If you can’t get admission in the first choice, the others should offer you admission so that our children will not be subjected to untold hardship.”

Yelwa advised Senator Uamr to use his position to ensure that the situation is stopped, adding that JAMB should extend the validity of its results beyond one year so that applicants who are not offered admission that year can use the same results to seek admission in the next academic session “so that financial stress can be removed from Nigerians.”

Responding, the convener of the meeting said one of the reasons he organised the interactive season was as a result of the deteriorating state of education, right from primary to tertiary institutions.

“It is for this reason that the programme has as its theme Attaining a Brighter Future for Bauchi South Senatorial District through the 10th Assembly: A Legislative Agenda for the enator.”

“This means that we are here today to interact with one another, for me to feel the pulse of my people, share their problems, discuss their concerns, and, in a united and purposeful way, chart the path to progress, prosperity, and transformation in Bauchi South District,” Umar added.