Prospective UNILAG Students Sue JAMB, VC

Aspiring students protesting ‎against the alleged plan by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, to stop them from writing entrance examination into the University of Lagos for this year’s admission have sued the exam body and UNILAG vice chancellor, Prof Rahmon Bello.

The placard-carrying students, who came to court in two BRT vehicles, were led by their counsel, Dr. Kayode Idowu and Mr. Alex Ogedengbe.

The nine plaintiffs, with their 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. Their ex parte application marked FHC/L/CS/1135/2015 could however not be heard yesterday as it has not been assigned to any of the vacation judges.

The nine students are seeking an order prohibiting the removal of their names from the list of candidates eligible to sit for the 2015 UNILAG’s post-UTME scheduled for August 12 and 13. They are also seeking the leave of the court to apply for an order of mandamus to compel UNILAG and its VC to sell the post-UTME forms to them so they could sit for the exams.

In a 22-paragraph affidavit of urgency filed in support of the ex parte application, the students explained that they bought the UTME forms and sat for the exams on March 14 on the published condition that if they scored 180 marks and above they would be eligible to sit for UNILAG’s post-UTME.

They, however, alleged that few days to the commencement of the sale of post-UTME forms for UNILAG, their names were removed from the list of eligible candidates by JAMB and its Registrar, Ojerinde. They averred that following the decision of JAMB to remove their names from the list, UNILAG had refused to sell post-UTME forms to them, a situation, which they claimed, would deprive them the right to compete for admission in the university of their choice.

They also accused JAMB and Ojerinde of forwarding their names to private universities as against their wish. They averred that the media had also reported Ojerinde to have directed that names of any student who scored below 250 marks should be forwarded to private universities.

They averred that a pre-litigation letter written by their counsel to JAMB and UNILAG on July 16 to rescind the decision was ignored. They further averred that their attempt to serve notices on JAMB and UNILAG in their offices were resisted and they were prevented entrance.

This refusal to allow them entrance into the Registrar’s Office, University of Lagos, according to them, was what led to an open peaceful protest at the Amphi Theatre of the Students’ Union Building on Wednesday, July 22, 2015.

The students, who said that they were running against time, said they had decided to come to court because “it would be unreasonable to continue to wait for the unwilling respondents, whose press releases and public responses on the matter have not shown any inkling of seriousness in addressing the appeal and the fact that time is of the essence.”