Cut-off mark: Candidates, parents head for court

Applicants undergoing Post Utme Computer
Based Test (CBT) at Federal Polytechnic Oko in
Anambra ...on Wednesday | credits: Photo: NAN.
Parents and candidates of Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination, set to be stopped from
sitting the forthcoming post-UTME, University of
Lagos, by the Joint Admission and Matriculation
Board, are dragging the board to the court today
(Friday).
They will be praying the court to stop further sale
of post-UTME form in public universities.
Hundreds of UTME candidates had on Wednesday
stormed UNILAG to protest against the decision
by the institution to stop them from sitting for the
post-UTME.
The candidates alleged that the authorities of the
university, in liaison with the JAMB, had rolled out
a new admission procedure that prevented them
from taking the examination to secure admission
into the ivory tower.
UNILAG and JAMB had defended their different
involvements in the exercise.
While the Head of Public Relations, JAMB, Dr.
Benjamin Fabian, said the board did not
intentionally exclude any candidate, the Registrar,
UNILAG, Dr. Taiwo Ipaye, said the university was
only working with the post-UTME screening list
sent by JAMB, adding that only candidates whose
names were forwarded to UNILAG by JAMB were
eligible for the 2015/2016 post-UTME screening.
The President, Association of Tutorial School
Operators of Nigeria, Mr. Sodunke Oludotun, who
led the Wednesday protest to UNILAG premises,
told our correspondent in an interview that the
affected parents and students had agreed to seek
redress in court on the matter.
He said their lawyer would file the suit against
JAMB at the Federal High Court in Ikoyi today
(Friday).
Oludotun said, “We have decided to go to court.
We will be in court on Friday. Mr. Femi Falana is
aware. Our lawyer too is going to file the court
process on Friday.
“On Friday, all the students and their parents are
following us to the court in Ikoyi. We are going to
protest there. On our way to the court, we are
going to block the Third Mainland Bridge before
getting to the court.
“Our lawyer said all the people that heard of the
case in the court were very angry when he went
there today (Wednesday). It is annoying. That is
one step we are going to take.”
He added that the protesters would also involve
Falana, a human rights activist and Senior
Advocate of Nigeria on the matter.
The protesters had on Wednesday alleged that
the university raised its cut-off to 250 marks
against the recommended 180 marks by JAMB.
JAMB had, on July 14, after its sixth consultative
meeting with stakeholders in Abuja, pegged the
cut-off mark to 180 for candidates seeking
university admission and 150 marks for those
seeking places in polytechnics and colleges of
education.