University of Lagos: Varsity says it will screen candidates

The University of Lagos said JAMB has no business sending a list of successful candidates to it for admissions, saying it is the duty of the university, according to its statute.

The institution’s Deputy Registrar, (Information), Mr Toyin Adebule, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday, adding that the university will go ahead with its screening of prospective candidates for admission into the 2016/2017 academic session as scheduled.

Adebule gave the university’s position against the backdrop of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) withdrawing the list of recommended candidates for admission, earlier sent to the various universities.

JAMB in the statement signed by its Head of Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, stated that the withdrawal was to ensure that the senate of each of the universities performs its statutory functions.

UNILAG had, last month, announced that it would begin screening candidates, who chose the institution as their first choice with a cut-off point of 200 and above, between Wednesday Aug. 3, 2016 and Aug. 24, 2016.

‎“We want to inform the public that our screening, for candidates that will be admitted for the 2016/17 academic session, will still hold scheduled from Aug. 3, 2016 to Aug. 24, 2016.

“It is true that JAMB had sent a list to us, which it had considered as those who met our cut-off point.

“It is this same list that it had withdrawn to allow the universities carry out their admission process as required by the law setting up their senates.

“There are statutory functions meant for all university senates, among which admissions is part.

“It is only after selecting the candidates for admission that the senate refers the list to JAMB for confirmation in line with the admission criteria of merit, catchment and educationally disadvantaged states.

“And so, it is only proper for JAMB to have taken this step, realising that it had taken over the job of the universities’ senates,’’ he told NAN.

Adebule, however, added that the withdrawal of the list did not interfere with UNILAG’s proposed plan to screen its candidates.

He reiterated that candidates would be screened based on the authenticity of their results and their course combination.