Our varsities have enough space to accommodate admission seekers ― JAMB registrar

Against perception among some people that there is paucity of space for qualified candidates into the nation’s universities, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is’haq Oloyede, has said that the available space of 600,000 in over 150 universities across the country is big enough to accommodate the greatest percentage of admission seekers.

Addressing a special forum of top officials of the University of Ilorin on the on-going 2018/2019 admission exercise in Ilorin, Professor Oloyede said that while about 700,000 candidates have a minimum of O’ level Credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which is a statutory prerequisite for admission, he added that the discrepancy does not justify the call for establishment of more universities that will, in the long run, suffer perennial under-funding.

The renowned scholar of Islamic Studies said that the establishment of more universities, particularly by state governments, will create more problems than they are meant to solve.

Professor Oloyede, who said that he had brought series of technology-driven innovations into the operation of JAMB, added that the measure had returned power of admission to institutions of higher learning.

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He assured that for as long as such institutions adhered strictly to statutory regulations, the hiccups often faced by some universities in processing the admission of their intended students would become a thing of the past.

The JAMB Registrar, who is also the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), responded to various questions raised by the members of the audience on the admission issue, as he also applauded the glowing reputation of the University of Ilorin as the most subscribed, most internationalised and most peaceful in Nigeria whose contributions to human capital development are being felt across the globe.

Professor Oloyede commended the management and staff of the University of Ilorin for the support his board has enjoyed from them at improving the credibility of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations since he took over the leadership of JAMB.

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While disclosing that JAMB had sought approval to use part of its annual revenue to support universities’ developmental efforts based on certain parameters, the JAMB Registrar encouraged the University of Ilorin not to rest on its oars as sister universities are working assiduously to upstage it in several areas where it is currently leading.

Earlier while welcoming Prof. Oloyede to the forum, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, thanked him for his relentless support for the growth of the University.

Prof. Abdulkareem added that the University of Ilorin is always proud of the industry, integrity, accomplishments and rising profile of Prof Oloyede as he assured him that the university will continue to work with JAMB to avert some of the identified inadequacies, in the on-going admission process in several universities.