Mariam Adebukola 
There are allegations that the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, Edo State, is engaged in the ‘illegal’ sale of admission to law and medical laboratory sciences programmes to the wards of affluent parents.
According to a top source at the university, the university’s administration is improperly moving students enrolled in law and medical laboratory science courses to other departments to make room for their wealthy colleagues whose parents have paid a lot of money to enrol their children in these programmes.
According to the source, who spoke to newsmen on Thursday, these affected students are being ‘illegally’ transferred to other departments after paying N71,900 as acceptance fees.
Another source also said a senior lecturer at the University sold students’ admissions to children of the rich and connected in the country after the management had allegedly collected bribes from their parents.
The lecturer disclosed that “It is clear that the Law course was the target because admission was still going on till today. The affected students have paid acceptance fees of N71,900 and were already processing their admissions.
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Now they were moved to other departments to give space for the children of connected and influential bidders.”
The platform gathered that some of the affected students had been moved to Bachelor of Arts in English and History and International Studies.
Speaking further, the source revealed that the university published a special release titled: “Notice To All Newly Admitted Students (UTME and DE)” on Thursday, August 10, 2023, directing all students admitted to into Law and Medical Laboratory Sciences to pay their full school fees before Monday, August 14, 2023.
The lecturer argued that if they were not up to corrupt practices, how would they have asked students admitted into those particular courses to pay their fees at the weekend?
He continued ”The students had only Friday and Monday to make the payments. You know, the students will first generate a Remita invoice before proceeding to the bank to pay.
“So the university authority had in mind that because of the internet issues and heavy traffic on the university site, a lot of students would not be able to generate Remita invoices to pay the fees within two working days, and then they would sell their admissions to children of connected Nigerians.”
The special release was reportedly signed by the Acting Registrar of the University, Ambrose E. Odiase, and Head of Corporate Communications, Otunba Mike Ade Aladenika.
Corroborating the allegation, another lecturer at the University noted that “They (students) were admitted to study law. They have paid acceptance fees. While the admission process is still ongoing, the university management must have seen good bidders for the law course, and they made a release that whoever didn’t pay school fees within four days would be dropped from the law.
“This is unacceptable and condemnable. So, this means that the students of the poor who are brilliant cannot study certain courses in Nigeria because of corruption. It is disheartening.”
However, attempts to speak with the university’s registrar and its head of corporate communications, Mr Odiase and Mr Aladenika, to get their perspectives on the situation were unsuccessful because they were both not returning calls and had not yet replied to messages as of the time this report was being filled out.
Below is a copy of the special release:
