The National Universities Commission (NUC) has clarified that the lawmaker representing Anambra North in the Senate, Senator Tony Nwoye did not break any rule in his request to University of Abuja to offer admission to some qualified admission seekers in the institution. NUC is the regulatory body for Nigerian universities.
A newspaper had reported the lawmaker was lobbying the university for the admission.
However, in an interview with the Vanguard Newspaper, the spokesman of the NUC, Mr. Haruna Ajo said that there was noting wrong with the appeal of the lawmaker noting that anyone can appeal to a university for admission of students provided such applicants were qualified.
According to Ajo, “He is a senator, but any one can do that. If the student merits the admission and meets the requirements, the university can then consider. A candidate cannot be admitted if he or she does not meet the requirement
“Because he is a senator, some people will reach out to him to help them send a request. There is nothing wrong with him reaching out to the university; but the students have to merit the admission.”
Senator Nwoye, a member of the Labour Party (LP) had in his letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, titled ”Passionate Appeal for Admission,” sought for consideration of five of his constituents who had passed the two qualifying examinations for admission in to the university.
Part of the letter reads, “I humbly request for your kind consideration for admission placement of the underlisted applicants who are my constituents and citizens of Federal Republic of Nigeria for admission in your institution to further their academic career.
“Kindly find attached their university of Abuja undergraduate 2024/2025 registration form. With humility I am a member of Senate committee on tertiary education and Tetfund. Please accept the assurances of my esteemed regards.”
The students were listed as, Ikwegbue Ogechukwu Esther (civil law); Cynthia Chioma Anyacho (civil law); Uchenna Emmanuel Augustine (computer science); Aginwa Sixtus Tochukwu (public administration); and Princess Destiny Agogo (medicine and surgery).
The cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities as for the academic year 2023/2024 according to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is 140 marks.
In Senator Nwoye’s report, the lowest scoring applicant has 181 marks while the highest has 264 marks.
Reacting to the newspaper report in a separate interview, the lawmaker insisted that he has no regrets for standing for his constituents. He revealed that he does not know the applicants in person, but that his constituents made the requests. He noted that the applicants were well qualified for the admission hence his effort to assist them.
He said, “is it a crime that my constituent reach out to me to appeal for the students to be put on the for vice-chancellor’s discretional list
“University does admission based on merit and my letter was a passionate appeal, not a demand. It is left to the university to decide.
“There is no regret that I made that appeal. None of them (students) is from my town. It is my constituents that brought them
“Every university has a discretional list. Did I collect money from them? I don’t even know them?
“If they don’t reach the pass mark, they cannot even get on the discretional list. They have reached the pass mark and it is now left for the vice-chancellor to decide.
Below is the lawmaker’s letter:
