20/05/2025
UI'S ADMISSION: NO CONNECTION, NO CORRUPTION
Sunday Saanu (The Punch, 20/05/2025)
Without any fear of contradiction, one can confidently assert that of all public policies, processes, and procedures in Nigeria, admission policy of University of Ibadan (UI) is one the few national policies that are as transparent as glass. The policy is devoid of neither connection nor corruption. This is no exaggeration, neither is it stated to draw undeserved applause. It is one policy that has gained public trust over the years. Parents are students of the university can testify to the fact that, you don't need to know anybody in UI before you gain admission to study there. It remains a national patrimony which still holds aloft the culture of honesty, transparency, hard work and diligence. I hope when some commentators generally claim that admission in higher institutions in Nigeria are for sale, they will exclude UI.
University of Ibadan is an archetypal post colonial institution with a vast reservoir of human capital with multiple skills. Till date, it is the first and the best university in Nigeria with the highest number of professors in the country . There is no country across the world that there is no UI products, holding important positions and dictating the pace. Indeed, it is a prestigious brand which has a high equity, even in global context. This is a University that has produced, in the last 76 years of its existence, global giants in arts, science, engineering and every other human endeavour, whose contributions to national and international developments are invaluable.
However, in consonance with the spirit and letters of its anthem; UI is committed to social justice and equal chance for every Nigerian youth, seeking to drink from its intellectual ocean by creating a transparent admission policy that is devoid of corruption and connection-social viruses that destroy virtues and values in the country. Interestingly, there are three reasons that have compelled me to revisit the joy of transparent admission policy of this Nigeria's premier university.
One, many Nigerians do not believe that there could be a national policy in this country that would not be tainted with bribes, corruption, connection and political considerations and ethic bigotry. UI scores a good point here. And, credit must be given to the successive administrations, including the current Prof. Kayode Adebowale led regime for preserving the envious historical template of this institution. I have been in this system for the past 24 years. I have witnessed various methods of admission policies. Nobody, to the best of my knowledge, can say somebody collected money from him to give him admission. UI admission policy is purely merit-driven.
The process is known to everyone. Every card is laid on the table. If you didn't get 200 and above from Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, don't approach UI for admission consideration, even if you are from President Bola Tinubu. If you scored 388 in JAMB exam and got 49 from UI's Post University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) test, go back to your house even if you are from Donald Trump. Nobody can help your case. The reason for this logic is simple. Available spaces for admission are few and they are meant for the best. UI is interested in picking the best out of the best candidates. Consequently, if you are not sure footed, try your luck elsewhere. For example, according to the VC, Prof. Adebowale, " out of 22,000 applicants who sought admission, last year, only 4,650 were offered provisional admission, and 4,215 were successfully cleared to become bonafide students of the university" That is UI's story. Only the best of the best admission seekers are welcome in UI.
And, that leads me to the second reason I am writing on this subject matter: parents' joy and appreciation. At the recent matriculation ceremony in UI, I came across many parents who commended UI for its transparent admission policy. They praised the management profusely. They confessed that they knew nobody in UI, yet, UI gave admission to their children. They thought admission in UI could only be possible with connection with those in positions of influence. Sadly, I have lost many friends who blamed me for the failure of their children to get admission in UI. They erroneously thought one could just squeeze some currency notes into an envelope and bribe admission people to secure a place. Not in UI.
Interestingly, this leads me to the third reason of writing this article: celebration of my niece who got admission to study Medicine and Surgery in UI without my involvement. This brilliant niece of mine, Goodness Akinsanya applied to study Medicine in 2023, got aggregate of 76. 25 while the cut off mark for Medicine was 79. She missed the admission narrowly. It was so painful. We tried to change to another course, Goodness refused th
