The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reopened the portal of Basola Jamiu Owoyemi, a graduate of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), ending months of uncertainty over his admission status and eligibility for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Jamiu, who studied Civil Engineering, graduated in December 2023 with a cumulative grade point average of 4.41. He completed his clearance at the university in May 2024 but was excluded from the NYSC mobilisation list after JAMB flagged his admission as irregular.
JAMB explained that his admission for the 2017/2018 academic session was not processed through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), a mandatory protocol introduced in 2017. Consequently, the board initially declared his admission unauthorised.
The case gained national attention in June when Jamiu took to social media to appeal to Nigerians for support. In a post dated June 24, he revealed that he voluntarily submitted himself to the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police in August 2024 to clear his name and validate his admission.
“I submitted myself to DSS and Police for scrutiny to fast-track the resolution. My school provided proof of my fair admission, and the police assured us their report would solve the issue. But till today, JAMB has not acknowledged it,” he said.
Jamiu insisted he had all the required documents, including his UTME result slip, post-UTME score, JAMB admission letter, and FUTA admission letter. “Why is JAMB still claiming my admission is fake? What else must I have done? The truth is clear,” he added.
Following a board meeting on July 5, JAMB resolved to regularise the admissions of Jamiu and 12 other candidates whose cases were flagged for irregularities. These candidates are part of 4,845 whose admissions are currently under review for NYSC mobilisation.
JAMB said the 13 candidates were identified as having admission irregularities either due to omissions by the candidates or their institutions. The institutions involved include FUTA, Bayero University Kano, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, Ekiti State University, Yaba College of Technology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Osun State Polytechnic Iree, Ben Idahosa University, Obong University, and the University of Ilorin.
The board directed that the affected candidates be allowed to regularise their records and print valid admission letters. Jamiu’s name has now been added to the official matriculation list.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) welcomed the development, commending its national president, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, for his role in securing justice for Jamiu.
“The president’s direct engagement with relevant authorities was instrumental in resolving the unjust predicament faced by Comrade Basola,” NANS said in a statement.
It also praised the FUTA Civil Engineering Department for supporting Jamiu’s case by providing relevant documentation to the authorities.
“This victory is not just for Basola. It is a triumph for every Nigerian student. NANS will continue to monitor the full implementation of all resolutions, including Basola’s inclusion in the next NYSC mobilisation batch,” the statement added.
