The allegation of admission racketeering by the university was raised on the floor of the Nigerian Senate.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Charles Igwe, has spoken on the allegation of admission racketeering against the institution.
The Nigerian Senate recently launched an investigation into the allegation that UNN management and that of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) were involved in admission racketeering.
This followed a report that the university in 2019 allegedly colluded with JAMB to truncate the admission of an applicant, Chinyere Ekwe, into the institution where she had applied to study medicine and surgery.
'No admission racketeering in UNN'
Mr Igwe, a professor, denied the allegation, insisting that the university offers admissions based on the admission policy of Nigeria and federal character principle.
The vice-chancellor spoke while fielding questions from reporters during a press briefing in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, on Tuesday, as part of the activities marking the institution's 51st convocation ceremony.
He said the university has the tradition of conducting a "transparent" admission process in compliance with the federal government's established criteria of 45 per cent merit, 35 per cent catchment areas, and 20 per cent for educationally less developed states.
Mr Igwe explained that what happened was that Ms Ekwe had scored below the merit cut-off mark for admission into the medicine and surgery department of the institution in that year.
He added that the university had proposed more candidates for admission into professional courses more than the quota allowed by professional bodies, but JAMB insisted that the institution must follow the quota prescribed by the bodies.
Some of the professional bodies include the Nigerian Medical Association, the Nigeria Bar Association and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
According to the VC, the professional bodies had maintained that medicine and surgery had a quota of 180 students, law 220, nursing 75, pharmacy 150 and dentistry 15.
"There was no way we could admit every person that applied for medicine when we were taking only 180 persons," he said.
The VC said, following the development, Ms Ekwe, like other students affected by the situation, was recommended for admission into the medical laboratory science department of the institution in the hope that she could be transferred to the medicine and surgery department the following year if she performed well academically.
"There is no racketeering of any nature at the University of Nigeria," the VC maintained.
He recalled that he had pleaded with some deans in the university at that time to "give preference" to the students affected by the policy during the admission process the following year.
Mr Igwe said Ms Ekwe has already successfully been transferred to the medicine and surgery department of the institution from the medical laboratory science where she was initially admitted.
"So, I don't know what warranted the outburst on the floor of the Senate," he said.
He commended the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and the Senator representing Abia South District, Enyinnaya Abaribe, for showing understanding in the matter.
'I receive requests from presidency to admit choice candidates'
Mr Igwe said he often received requests from some people who claim they were from the presidency while others pretend their requests were coming from bishops.
"I get all sorts of requests during every admission. Somebody will write to me from the presidency. These days, people drop names. And he wants me to take somebody that scored 215 as against somebody that scored 300 and if I don't do it, they will go to public places and spread rumour that the University of Nigeria is now practising admission racketeering," he stated.
"One came with an admission request a year or two ago from a bishop. I am an Anglican. Even when they make these requests, they go for core courses. Somebody around me just picked that letter-head paper with the request and said, 'you forged this thing. I know the signature of the bishop," the VC said.
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Background
The senator representing Ebonyi North District, Onyeka Nwebonyi, had earlier in November, moved a motion in which he alleged that some UNN staff members allegedly conspired with JAMB to deny Ms Ekwe admission into the institution's medicine and surgery department in 2019.
Mr Nwebonyi asked the Senate to immediately compel JAMB and UNN to admit her into the department.
But Mr Akpabio said the Senate would investigate the matter, pointing out that JAMB should be invited for fair fearing given that they are a reputable institution.
Meanwhile, JAMB's Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, while reacting to the matter during the 2023 Customer Service Week of the exam body, explained that Ms Ekwe was not admitted into UNN's medicine and surgery department that year because she had scored 291 in her UTME which was below the mark for admission into the course.
