A storm of disbelief and national outrage is brewing over the case of Basola Jamiu Owodunni, a brilliant graduate of Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), whose admission has now been shockingly declared “fake” by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). This shocking development was brought to national attention by Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, who posted about it on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, calling for urgent reforms within JAMB’s system.
Alex Onyia, who has long championed the cause of students facing systemic injustice, expressed deep concern over the growing reports of discrepancies within JAMB records. However, he noted that Basola’s case stood out as especially heart-breaking. “He’s an orphan. He hustled on building sites to pay his fees. He gave tutorials to others. He graduated with a CGPA of 4.41 after seven gruelling years including ASUU strikes. Now JAMB says his admission never existed?” Onyia wrote.
According to Onyia, the real issue isn’t just about one student but a systemic failure that could potentially destroy the futures of thousands of students. He insisted that JAMB’s current vendor network must be overhauled and that the board’s refusal to accept responsibility for administrative inconsistencies now poses a national threat.
Basola Jamiu, who recorded a tearful public video explaining his ordeal, said he gained admission into FUTA in 2017 after registering through JAMB and began his academic journey in 2018. He successfully completed the programme in 2021 but has since faced multiple barriers preventing him from proceeding with his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and employment opportunities.
“After graduation, I discovered that JAMB had marked my admission as fake,” Basola stated in his video. “When I tried to access my JAMB portal, it kept saying ‘access denied.’ I was directed to a JAMB office where I was threatened with arrest and interrogation by the DSS.”
He recounted being detained for hours in both DSS and police custody during the investigation, even though his university presented verified documentation proving his admission was legitimate and processed through the JAMB system. The school’s admission officer accompanied him and provided physical evidence of his entry into the institution.
Jamiu had been in line for a placement opportunity with UNICEF, which was immediately revoked following the controversy. The JAMB anomaly not only cost him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity but now also threatens his eligibility for national service and any future employment requiring NYSC certification.
To make matters worse, JAMB has yet to acknowledge the police report compiled and forwarded to its Abuja headquarters after the investigation. “I submitted every document they required: my JAMB result, admission letter, WAEC results, and even a clearance letter from the university. But they still say they can’t find my data in their system,” Jamiu said.
Despite support from FUTA, including letters submitted by the registrar, vice-chancellor, and the chairman of the admissions committee urging JAMB to resolve the matter, the response has remained cold. Jamiu noted that his efforts seem to have hit a wall. “It feels like I’m fighting a ghost. No one is answering.”
The situation has reignited discussions about JAMB’s controversial Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which has been criticized in the past for inconsistencies in processing and reflecting students’ admissions. Education stakeholders now fear that more students may be suffering silently due to similar errors.
JAMIU’s emotional appeal online has since gone viral, drawing reactions from students, lecturers, alumni, and education advocates who demand that the Ministry of Education step in. Many argue that the psychological trauma and reputational damage he has faced are enough to destroy any young person’s aspirations.
“Imagine being told your entire academic life didn’t happen,” said one respondent online. “This is more than just incompetence; it is life-threatening for someone without connections or resources.”
FUTA students have also expressed solidarity with Jamiu, calling for peaceful protests and petitions directed at JAMB and the Federal Ministry of Education. “This is someone who taught others, led academic fellowships, and now has to beg to prove he even existed in school,” said one final-year student.
Alex Onyia has pledged continued support for Jamiu and said his team will be submitting legal documentation to ensure justice is served. “We cannot let JAMB get away with erasing lives due to a failed IT infrastructure,” he wrote.
Many observers are now calling on the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tahir Mamman, to personally intervene and initiate a full audit of JAMB’s data management practices. Lawmakers, too, are reportedly picking up interest in sponsoring an investigation at the National Assembly.
For Jamiu, hope remains slim but alive. “I haven’t given up,” he said in his closing remarks. “All I want is for them to acknowledge that I was a student. That I earned my degree. That I exist.”
The Nigeria Education News will continue to monitor this developing story and provide verified updates as more information becomes available.
