The Management of the University Of Nigeria, has today debunked as falsehood and a campaign of mischief the sensational post circulated across social media, alleging monumental corruption in the admission process of the University of Nigeria (UNN) by Aniebo Nwamu, a veteran journalist of many years experience. Aniebo Nwamu, the purveyor of this falsehood, with the arrogance and pomposity which ignorance confers, claimed that only “fewer than ten” candidates scored above 338 in the UTME this year, yet over 200 names appeared in the first batch of admission into Medicine and Surgery. He went on to accuse the University (without evidence) of demanding bribes of up to three million naira for admission.
According to UNN management, “this is not just false; it is a calculated attack on an institution that has, for more than six decades, stood as a national symbol of academic integrity and merit”.
Let’s be clear: from the position of the University the so-called “heist at UNN” as Nwamu claimed “is a fiction, a figment of his befuddled imagination and a desperate attempt to malign the University’s image and the transparent system it currently operates under the leadership of her 16th Vice Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya.
Had Nwamu been diligent to investigate the admission process of the University, he would have known that “UNN does not conduct its admission process in isolation as the primary admission is generated by various deans and the list is approved by the meeting of the committee of Deans that ensures strict adherence to due process and diligence. It is a standard practice that the committee of Deans with the Vice Chancellor as Chairman has the powers to approve the first admission list”.
Further to this, “every stage is monitored, supervised, and validated by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the statutory regulatory body that ensures due process in all Nigerian tertiary institutions.
From the position of the University management, “the current admission list released by UNN was prepared strictly in line with the JAMB-approved admission formula, which divides allocation as follows: 45% for merit, 35% for catchment area (locality), and 20% for Educationally Less Developed States (ELDS).
This formula is not peculiar to UNN; it applies to every Federal University in Nigeria. It is a national policy designed to ensure fairness, inclusivity, and equity in access to education.
Prof. Ortuanya,
The 16th and current Vice Chancellor,
University of Nigeria
The Faculty of Medical Sciences at UNN, like others nationwide, sets its cut-off marks according to this formula. For Medicine and Surgery, the cut-off for merit is 338.0, while that of locality and ELDS varies by State. For sake of clarity, the University Management provides the officially approved figures as follows;
Merit:
338.0
Locality:
Enugu – 334.5
Anambra – 331.6
Imo – 333.1
Abia – 326.5
Ebonyi – 314.2
Delta – 315.8
Akwa Ibom – 282.3
ELDS:
Taraba – 312.1
Rivers – 295.4
Kogi – 294.6
Bayelsa – 317.3
Niger – 287.9
Cross River – 287.7
Benue – 282.4
Gombe – 282.4
Kaduna – 280.3
Katsina – 283.3
From the above, it is evident that the cut-off mark is not a single, rigid figure. It reflects a structured, federally mandated balance between merit and representation. To suggest otherwise is to misrepresent reality, or worse, to deliberately sow distrust in the system. And that is exactly what Nwamu set out to achieve. If not, a journalist of his standing and experience should have conducted proper investigation, reached out to the University Management to clear any area that appears strange to him.
It is important to emphasize that contrary to the baseless claim that “fewer than ten” candidates scored above 338, UNN’s admission records show that over 600 candidates scored above 300 in Medicine alone. The Faculty of Medical Sciences usually have an extensive pool of highly qualified applicants, and this year is no exception.
Those therefore spreading falsehoods should have paused long enough to verify this publicly available data before leaping into reckless conclusions. The truth is that the UNN’s admissions, now more than ever, reflect transparency, fairness, and merit.
Since assuming office, Professor Simon U. Ortuanya, the current Vice Chancellor, has ushered in a new era of accountability and openness. Every decision, from admission to employment, passes through rigorous institutional checks. The Admission Unit, the Committee of Deans, and the JAMB central database all play active roles in vetting and verifying every candidate admitted.
It is practically impossible to “buy” a slot on the Primary Admission List. Even the Vice Chancellor himself cannot alter the merit list once it has been processed and uploaded to JAMB’s Central Admission Processing System (CAPS).
It is only after JAMB’s final approval does UNN release its list to the public. This level of transparency has been deliberately instituted to seal every possible loophole for manipulation.
What we have seen in that viral post is not journalism or civic activism, it is mischief. The author, in a moment of shallow self-righteousness, hurled accusations without proof, statistics, or understanding of the admission process.
It is easy to sit behind a smartphone and manufacture outrage. It is harder to engage facts, check official sources, or approach the institution for clarification.
This is the tragedy of today’s social media: misinformation spreads faster than reason. The University of Nigeria, like every great institution, is not perfect. But to brand it a den of corruption without a single shred of evidence is reckless and malicious.
Prof. Ortuanya is here to continue upholding the Lion standard, reinventing the ancient landmarks of the nation’s premier citadel of learning; by restoring the dignity of Man.
©Echo Dei Media Consult™
