The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has declared that it never authorised the admission of Mr Basola Jamiu Owodunni, who holds a civil-engineering degree from the Federal University of Technology, Akure —because his details are “completely absent” from the board’s Central Admissions Processing System.
“While we do not dispute that he attended the university, the board cannot find any trace of his admission in our records,” JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, said in a statement on Sunday.
“By our database, he was never proposed by FUTA, never processed by JAMB, and therefore cannot appear on the matriculation list required for mobilisation to the National Youth Service Corps.”
Mr Owodunni, who graduated in 2024 with a cumulative grade point average of 4.41, took to social media last week, alleging that JAMB retroactively invalidated his 2018 admission—seven years after he began his studies.
According to him, the crisis surfaced during his final clearance when FUTA’s student-affairs unit reported that NYSC could not verify his admission status.
“When I checked the JAMB matriculation list, it showed ‘fake admission,’” Owodunni told reporters, adding that he later visited a JAMB office where officials threatened to hand him over to the Department of State Services for questioning.
He claimed he spent several hours in DSS and police custody before friends secured his release, and said FUTA’s admissions unit subsequently produced documents confirming that the university had recommended him for admission in 2018.
JAMB insists the graduate was never inserted into CAPS—its sole admission-approval portal.
“The board lacks the legal power to insert a candidate ex-post-facto. If a university does not upload a name, JAMB cannot approve it,” Benjamin explained. He urged candidates to accept only offers routed through CAPS and printed directly from the platform.
The board also dismissed suggestions that Owodunni’s background—he has described himself as an orphan—should influence the investigation.
“Emotional narratives, however sympathetic, cannot override due process,” Benjamin said, adding that Owodunni is in possession of “a document that did not emanate from JAMB” and must explain how he acquired it.
Owodunni said he has written to FUTA’s registrar, vice-chancellor, and admissions committee, seeking their intervention. University officials have not publicly commented on the matter at press time.
JAMB, for its part, says it is prepared to assist the graduate—but only if evidence shows he followed the correct procedure.
“Protecting candidates from exploitation is central to our mandate,” Benjamin concluded. “Should Mr Owodunni be proven compliant with the rules, the board will support him.”