Legal Nigeria

Students, SERAP sue JAMB, UNILAG over cut-off marks

Some candidates seeking university admission have sued the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the Federal High Court in Lagos over the new policy on cut-off marks.
The court on Monday granted their application for a judicial review of the decision to stop them from writing UNILAG’s entrance examination.
The applicant alleged that JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, issued a directive stopping them from participating in UNILAG’s post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scheduled for August 12 and 13.
They also accused Ojerinde of sending their names to other institutions they did not chose.
According to them, they scored above JAMB’s 180 cut-off mark, but UNILAG 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 the ex parte application filed before Justice Mohammed Idris, the applicants prayed for leave to apply for an order of mandamus compelling UNILAG to sell the post-UTME forms to them.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) also sued JAMB and UNILAG over what it called “outrageous cut-off marks decisions.”
The organisation is seeking an order stopping JAMB, UNILAG and others from implementing the decision.
SERAP, on behalf of three applicants affected by the cut-off marks decision, said the provisions of Section 5(1) (c) (iii) of the JAMB Act ensure that the preferences of candidates in terms of the university they choose to attend are sacrosanct.
The three applicants are Adeola Hammed Ayobami, Abass Ololade and Abass Ajibola.
The respondents are – JAMB, UNILAG, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education.
-Nation