Nigerian lawyer, human right activist and principal founder of "Pelumi
Olajengbesi & co" legal firm ( Law Corridor) has shared his reaction on recent increase of fee by JAMB to N10,
000.
Read more after the cut as shared......
There is an ongoing fraud in JAMB and we call on all Nigerians to stand
up against it. We must prevent desperate public office holders in
setting of a wicked precedence in error of public interest.
The Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) established by an Act of the
National Assembly is saddled with the responsibility to administer a
centralised admission system for universities, polytechnics and colleges
of education in Nigeria.
The board therefore conducts, annually a
central examination for all prospective students into tertiary
institutions of learning in Nigeria and also give direct admissions on
merit to qualified candidates.
Applicants pay the sum of 5000
naira to JAMB to obtain the JAMB examination registration form for
qualification to seat for the examination and thereafter they are given
admission by JAMB through the various institutions of choice of the
students.
In 2012 JAMB under Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, in an attempt
to be more organized concluded that her datas and records were wrongly
collected and managed.
Students were being admitted into one University
while their admission status indicated another University on the website
of JAMB, in another instance, students who were admitted to study a
particular course had different courses in record for them with JAMB.
Even more vexatious, some students who were properly admitted through
JAMB were missing in the records of JAMB as reflected by JAMB website.
Jamb records apparently were largely not synchronised with that of the
Universities and other tertiary institutions of learning, hence Jamb
made the resolve to commence the regularisation of her records for an
efficient management particularly as to work well with other sister
governmental organizations.
However, it is saddeningy to note
that the then leadership of JAMB saw the DUTY of correcting their own
mistakes as an ample opportunity to exploit and defraud the Nigerian
students.
The leadership of JAMB demanded that all affected students pay
the sum of 5000 naira to get their records regularlised with JAMB
without which such a student will not be able to participate in the
compulsory NYSC service, as if the money is needed to lift hands that
will correct the records.
Some unscrupulous institutions,
likewise, schemed out their students by introducing an additional fee of
N10,000 thus bringing the total to N15,000 shamelessly filching off
unsuspecting but worried students.
It is our strong believe that this process is fraudulent, and we firmly convinced that Nigerians must not encourage it.
JAMB's ARGUEMENT
The leadership of JAMB has over time argued that the purpose of the
regularisation is to ensure that JAMB have the current admission details
that tally with admission/registration record in the schools that
offered students admission.
Jamb itemized the following categories of Students to be students particularly affected:
1. 200 level to 500 Level students of all tertiary institutions of
learning in Nigeria admitted through JAMB but whose admission
information is not on the JAMB website to validate same.
2. Students admitted through JAMB but with different admission information on JAMB website.
3. Students admitted through PDS/JAMB mode to an institution but yet been offered admission in another tertiary institution.
4. Etc.
It is instructive to note that JAMB position does not give an
explanation for the money required to be paid by students who are in
fact the ones at the receiving end of JAMB's inadequacy in record
keeping.
Between just 2013 and 2016 alone, the leadership of
JAMB under Prof. Dibu Ojerinde have succeeded in collecting 5000 naira
from over 3.3 million Nigerian Students which amounts to over
16.5billion naira under the pretence of JAMB regularisation, and those
who cannot pay are denied the opportunity to serve on the National Youth
Service Corpers mandatory scheme. A lot of students have been snared in
the limbo created by the process.
Today, we are in a bad shock
that the current administration in JAMB have increased this fee to N10,
000. This is a reckless effrontery and attack on the sensibilities of
Nigerians. I am still wondering why all the National students bodies are
yet to take this up.
While the initiative to correct the errors
in their records is laudable, the inclusion of further fees to be paid
by students is against good public policy and not in tandem with present
day economic realities.
We are made to wonder why JAMB would be fraudulently penalizing Nigerian students for her own errors.
We are made to wonder why JAMB would be fraudulently penalizing Nigerian students for her own errors.
Why
properly admitted students into tertiary institutions should be
compelled to pay another 10,000 Naira to JAMB to correct the body's own
failings occasioned in the ordinary course of their duties, this for us
defies the boundaries of any known logic and common sense.
It is
either stealing or corruption, we consider this unfair to Nigerians and
an embarrassment to this country that officials in a public position of
trust like JAMB would unabashedly manipulate the inherent powers of
their office to further torment the lives of poor students.
OUR ARGUMENT
We believe that regularisation as implied in this circumstance is a
process of making corrections and the updating of JAMB's records and
database.
We strongly believe that JAMB have a duty to manage
its records and database. That these records are ordinarily expected to
be properly collected and corrected in their representation and that
this is in fact an indefeasible incidence of their duty to keep records.
We believe that the 10,000 naira being collected by JAMB from
the affected students for the said regularisation fee is a deliberate
act of robbing poor Nigerian students of their hard earned money.
OUR DEMANDS
We demand as follows:
1. That the payment of the fraudulent 10, 000 Naira regularisation fee should be discontinued immediately.
2. That JAMB should be mandated to correct all errors made in her
records and data of Students without taking any penny from the students .
3. That JAMB should be mandated to synchronize all Nigerian students records with NYSC without further delay.
Presently, JAMB will be denying over 100, 000 Nigerian students from
participating in the compulsory NYSC scheme because of her determination
to corruptly enrich the perpetrators. It is in fact wrong not just in
the palace of common sense but damning in principle for a public body
such as JAMB to demand money for it to do that which it is already paid
to do. The errors are its, and the duty to make right such errors should
be it's own as a matter of simple logic.
We believe to stem the
progress of thousands of Students over such technical error is an act
of leadership irresponsibility and counterproductive in the lofty goals
of our educational pursuit. This is disheartening and simply wicked to
compound the woes of students in such a way.
JAMB must be put
right, a process that is otherwise laudable must be stripped of
complicity in unwanton exploitation. It is as much the fee, as well as
the lack of probity in the entire process. Let it be said that while
10,000 naira may look like change to some, it represents an immediate
monumental amount to less fortunate students who become victims of the
contrivance of a public body that should ordinarily protect their
interests.
Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq.
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