Court grants students’ application against JAMB, UNILAG

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted an application for the judicial review of the decision to stop some applicants from writing entrance examination into the University of Lagos for this year’s admission.

The applicants had headed for court alleging that the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, had issued a directive stopping them from participating in the UNILAG’s post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scheduled for August 12 and 13, 2015.

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The applicants, through their lawyer, Dr. Kayode Idowu, also accused Ojerinde of ordering the removal of their names from the list of applicants eligible to sit the UNILAG’s 2015 post-UTME and sending same to other institutions that they had not chosen.

They also alleged that though they scored above the JAMB’s publicly announced 180 cut-off mark, UNILAG had however refused to sell its post-UTME forms to them following the alleged directive by Ojerinde to send the names of all candidates with less than 250 marks to other institutions.

In their ex parte application moved before Justice Mohammed Idris on Monday morning, the applicants had prayed for the leave of court to apply for an order of mandamus compelling UNILAG to sell the post-UTME forms to them so they could sit the exams.

They also sought the leave to apply for an order prohibiting the removal of their names from the list of candidates eligible to sit the 2015 UNILAG’s post-UTME scheduled for August 12 and 13.

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The judge, after hearing their lawyer, Idowu, granted the applicants an order to seek judicial review of the respondents’ decision.

“It is in the interest of justice that the application is granted as prayed,” Idris held.

The court adjourned till August 10, 2015 for further proceedings.

Joined as respondents in the application are  JAMB, its Registrar, Ojerinde, UNILAG and its Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahmon Bello.

The applicants with their respective Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scores are Kofoworola Olukanmi with 235 marks; Mojisola Sholola, 247 marks; Mojisola Ajetunmobi, 239 marks; Ayomide Olajide, 228 marks; Joseph Omotosho, 247 marks.

Others are Olabimpe Oladipupo, 228 marks; Chijioke Nwachukwu, 233 marks; Saviour Echedom, 235 marks and Adebola Ekungomi, 223 marks.

Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has asked the same court to reverse the cut-off point of 250 marks set by UNILAG to the 180 marks publicly announced by JAMB.

The group, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1139/2015, filed on Monday, is seeking a declaration that by the upward review of the cut-off mark, the respondents had breached Section 5(1)(c)(iii) of the JAMB Act Cap 193 of the Laws of the Federation.

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It said, “The provisions of Section 5(1)(c)(iii) of the JAMB Act are very clear and unambiguous. The letter and spirit of the provisions are to ensure that the preferences of candidates, in terms of the university they choose to attend, are sacrosanct. Even a contrary or adverse decision by individual university cannot override the decision made pursuant to the provisions of Section (5)1)(c)(iii).”

The case has yet to be slated for hearing.