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| Obafemi Awolowo University |
OAU, Ile-Ife, has pushed back strongly against allegations of ethnic discrimination in its 2025/2026 undergraduate admissions, describing the claims as a misrepresentation of how federal universities in Nigeria are required to operate.
In a detailed press statement, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, rejected suggestions that the institution harbours hostility toward any ethnic group or compromises merit for a hidden agenda.
The response follows an open petition by Akin Okunowo, who identified himself as a national leader in anti-cult activities. The petition accused OAU of ethnic marginalisation, abandoning pure merit, and deliberately discriminating against certain candidates—particularly in competitive programmes such as Law and Accounting.
OAU’s statement insisted these allegations do not reflect its admission framework or the national policies that govern it.
“OAU unequivocally rejects any suggestion that its admission process is driven by ethnic hostility, a secret agenda against Yoruba students or a deliberate attempt to compromise academic standards,” the statement declared. As a federal institution, the university emphasised, it must follow Federal Government policies and guidelines from bodies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
How Federal University Admissions Actually Work in Nigeria
Nigeria’s university admission system is not pure open merit. Federal universities apply a structured formula designed to balance excellence with national unity and access in a diverse federation of over 200 ethnic groups. The standard breakdown, long reflected in JAMB and NUC guidelines, typically prioritises:
• Merit (often around 45% of slots), based primarily on UTME and post-UTME performance
• Catchment area (usually about 35%), giving preference to candidates from states geographically linked to the institution
• Educationally less developed states (ELDS, around 20%), intended to boost access for students from historically underserved regions
OAU, located in Osun State in the South-West, has a catchment that includes several South-West states. Differences in cut-off marks between merit lists and catchment or ELDS lists are therefore built into the system.
A candidate from an ELDS state may gain admission with a lower aggregate score than one from a catchment or non-catchment state competing purely on merit. The university argued that such authorised differences should not be automatically read as ethnic discrimination.
“The objective is not to undermine academic excellence or punish any Nigerian on account of his or her state of origin, but to pursue fairness and inclusiveness within a diverse federation while preserving the academic standards expected of a reputable institution like ours,” Olarewaju’s statement explained.
This framework is not unique to OAU. Similar debates surface periodically at other federal universities—University of Lagos, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, and others—whenever competitive programmes release admission lists. High-demand courses such as Law, Medicine, Accounting, and Engineering routinely generate intense scrutiny because available spaces are limited and applicant numbers are high.
Addressing Specific Claims on Law and Accounting
OAU specifically addressed concerns about Law and Accounting, two of the most sought-after programmes. It cautioned against judging individual decisions solely from selected scores without reviewing the complete official records, the candidate’s admission category (merit, catchment, or ELDS), programme-specific requirements, and the approved guidelines for that session.
The university invited aggrieved candidates and parents to use its formal complaint channels. Complaints, it said, should clearly state the programme, session, the candidate’s credentials, the admission category applied, and the specific grounds for the challenge. Properly submitted cases would be reviewed according to established procedures.
“OAU has nothing to gain from denying admission to qualified candidates arbitrarily, nor does it have any institutional interest in discriminating against Nigerians on ethnic grounds,” the statement noted. The institution remains obligated to implement national policy fairly while upholding academic standards.
OAU also redirected broader policy grievances. If the petitioner seeks changes to the federal admission formula itself—merit ratios, catchment definitions, or ELDS provisions—the appropriate destinations are the Federal Ministry of Education, the NUC, and JAMB, not a single university that must operate within existing rules.
Context, Tensions, and the Bigger Picture
Admission season in Nigeria is routinely charged. Families invest heavily in UTME preparation, post-UTME screening, and sometimes multiple applications. When results fall short of expectations in prestigious programmes, disappointment can quickly turn into allegations of bias—ethnic, religious, or otherwise. Social media amplifies these claims rapidly, often before full data is available.
OAU’s location in the Yoruba heartland makes ethnic framing particularly sensitive. Claims that the university is somehow hostile to Yoruba candidates sit uneasily with its history and demographics, yet the petition’s language tapped into longstanding anxieties about representation and opportunity in federal institutions. The university’s response carefully separated operational implementation of national policy from any suggestion of local ethnic animus.
The statement also acknowledged the human element: competitive programmes inevitably leave some qualified candidates disappointed. It urged stakeholders to ground public discussion in verified information, applicable regulations, and evidence rather than incomplete score comparisons.
Transparency and accountability formed a closing theme. OAU reaffirmed openness to constructive engagement with students, parents, education stakeholders, and the public. Its final line struck a characteristic institutional note: “Great Ife remains Great—not because it is beyond criticism, but because its enduring commitment to learning, excellence and national development transcends the controversies of the moment.”
What Aggrieved Candidates Can Do Next
Practical options remain available:
1. Submit a formal complaint through OAU’s established channels with full documentation.
2. Seek clarification from JAMB on the candidate’s status and the applicable guidelines for the session.
3. If the concern is systemic rather than individual, engage the NUC or Federal Ministry of Education on the broader admission policy.
For parents and candidates still navigating the 2025/2026 process, the key takeaway from OAU’s position is procedural: differences in thresholds under the federal formula are authorised, individual cases should be examined with complete records, and policy reform belongs at the national regulatory level.
The episode underscores a recurring tension in Nigerian higher education—balancing meritocratic excellence with deliberate efforts at geographical inclusion and national integration. As long as federal universities operate under the current guidelines, similar debates are likely to recur whenever competitive lists are released.
OAU’s firm defence of its process, while inviting formal review of specific cases, places the immediate focus back on evidence, procedure, and the national framework that shapes every federal admission decision.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers Global, News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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