Olajide Omojolomoju
It is bad enough that a high majority of Nigerian youths who are supposed to be leaders of tomorrow nad are within the education age bracket has concluded that education is a scam, a common parlance that has gained traction among the youths.
The reason for this erroneous belief stemmed from the fact that despite the much touted maxim that education is the key to wealth, many Nigerian youths have graduate d from the university in flying colours, only to end up in the streets without being gainfully employed for years after graduation.
As if that was not enough, the few who still believe that with education, they can turn around their fortune and make a future for themselves are now being short changed by the government agency in charge of joint admission to Tertiary Institutions in the country, the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, through its ineptitude and lack of organisation.
Earlier in the year, JAMB cancelled the result of millions of students due to no fault of the applicants but its inefficiency and had to subject these unfortunate students to the rigours of retaking the examination, not minding the trauma the had gone through to write the initial examination.
Recall that many applicants had to go through harrowing experiences to write the examination, with high percentage of applicants taken far away from the states of residences.
On April 3, 2024, it was reported that over 14,000 students, who had graduated but had issues with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, clearance could not access the JAMB portal, with the agency claiming that its system had issues and was hacked.
The students lamented, “We wrote JAMB, but our admissions came from our schools, not JAMB. We have been submitting our names for regularization through the school for years, but nothing productive came out of it.”
The one that caught national attention was the case of Jamiu Basola, an orphan from Ogun State, This young man is an orphan from Ogun State, who secured admission in 2017/2018 academic session and graduated with 4.41 CGPA.
All through his academic journey, the Almighty JAMB did not declare his admission as fake, but waited until it’s time for him to go for NYSC.
He is one of the over 14,000 students affected with this anomaly.
The big question begging for answer is that must the failed system at JAMB cause someone these unnecessary hassles and emotional torture?
Despite stakeholders wading into the fray, the examination umpire has refused to do anything about the anomaly, behaving as the alpha and omega over the future of 14,000 hapless Nigerians.
As they say, injustice to one is definitely injustice to all! Unfortunately, the legislature which has oversight over this issue has refused to do anything or call JAMB to order, perhaps because none of their children is among the 14,000 Nigerians suffering emotional jeopardy over the incompetence of a government agency.
Basola recalled, “In our final year, JAMB released a memo instructing us to complete our regularization at the state office. However, when we went there, we were not treated well. JAMB directed us back to our school, claiming the school had not met certain requirements. Because of this, we had no choice but to pay for regularization ourselves, which was the legal procedure for JAMB regularization when we were first admitted. We weren’t informed that the process had changed.
“Despite the challenges, we paid, and the regularization was successful. We were given admissions, and our names were added to the JAMB matriculation list. But just a week before mobilization for NYSC Batch B Stream 1 in April c2024, our CAPS started showing ‘fake admission.’ By June, the fake admission was removed, and it directed us to visit the nearest JAMB office.
“Many of us have been going to JAMB offices near us, but the situation worsened. Many of us were detained and had to bail ourselves out, while others were left stranded. JAMB keeps redirecting us back to the school, but even when some of us traveled to Abuja, we were told that criminals had invaded the JAMB website and were arrested.
“We are victims and deserve to be treated as such. We can no longer take this. We cannot go for NYSC, further our education, or move on with our lives. We have become a burden to our parents because of this issue.”
Following the ineptitude of some government workers drawing salary from tax payers’ sweat, many students remain in limbo as JAMB fails to make decisions regarding the affected students’ admission letter saga.
Many of the students were unjustly arrested and extorted by the Nigerian Police over what they are actually victims of.
Even the students’ association, the National Association of Nigerian Student, NANS, despite its April 14 ultimatum to JAMB to resolve the saga or face protest action has not been able to do anything almost three months after.
This ineptitude on the part of JAMB has left many students at home for over two years after graduation as the issues prolongs, yet the government agency in the middle of this national embarrassment and mess, JAMB, has kept mum and to worsen the matter, the ministry in charge of education and the minister are yet to react, despite many letter of appeal asking for intervention.
It is the height of irresponsibility on the part of those charged with the responsibility of resolving issues such as this to keep mum up till this point, despite all the hues and cries that have attended this sensitive and important issue.
Meanwhile, to the glory of God and the intervention and pressure from well meaning Nigerians including NANS, Basola can now have a sigh of relief, as his issue has been brought to a close with JAMB rectifying whatever the problem was in the first place.
But rather than receive kudos, JAMB will continue to receive knocks because this issue ought not to have been escalated to this level before resolution.
In a statement on Monday, July 7, after prolonged back and forth, by NANS Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Ajasa, it was reported that JAMB has rectified the admission status of Jamiu Basola, a 2024 Civil Engineering graduate of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA.
This development brings to an end several weeks of controversy surrounding his eligibility for the NYSC scheme.
Ajasa averred that JAMB has reactivated Basola’s portal and included his name on the matriculation list, a requirement for NYSC mobilisation.
Basola’s academic future was in jeopardy after his admission was flagged as “fake” by JAMB, despite completing his studies with a cumulative grade point average of 4.41.
If JAMB has been responsible and not shirking it’s responsibility, this saga ought not to have generated the unnecessary controversies that trailer it.
It is hope that government agencies in charge of different aspects of the lives of Nigerians would take their responsibilities serious and not jeopardize the well being of the citizens.
