The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said one of the candidates in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) from Lagos State, Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem, got 358 out of 400 marks.

The board also announced the states of origin of 10 candidates with the top 10 best results in the examination.

The best 10 candidates are from Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Rivers, Oyo, Ekiti and Edo states.

The figures were obtained from the presentation by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, at the 2021 policy meeting chaired by Education Minister Adamu Adamu on August 31.

Six of the 10 candidates applied to study Engineering while one opted for Mathematics; two Mechatronics and one Computer Science.

Five of them chose to attend Covenant University as their first choice; one chose Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), another Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

One also applied to Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, while one applied for Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Chibuikem is this year’s UTME best candidate.

Two other candidates – Qomarudeen Abdulwasiu Alabi and Adeogun Kehinde Oreoluwa from Osun and Ogun states – shared the second position with 350 marks apiece

Ajayi Eberechukwu Isiah, also from Lagos State, came third with 349 marks, while Okarike Favour Kenneth from Rivers State came fourth with 348.

Three other candidates shared the sixth, seventh and eighth positions with 347. They are: Omonona Oluwamayokun Victor, from Oyo State; Owoeye Israel Oluwatimilehin, from Ekiti State, and Ehizogie Jeffrey Aidelogie, from Edo States.

With 346 marks, Ajeigbe Moyinoluwa Samuel, from Ekiti State, took the ninth position and Yakubu Abdulraheem Joshua, from Edo State is 10th with 343 marks.

But while some students may have high UTME scores, they may not be granted admission into the university of their first choice while those with lower scores may gain admission.

This is because the guidelines for university admission in Nigeria are based on 45 per cent merit, 35 per cent on catchment areas and 20 per cent on educationally disadvantaged states.

Speaking on the admission process, JAMB’s Head of Information and Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin said: “There is no compromise on the admission guidelines. They form the standing rule. But admission will have to start from merit, 45 per cent, then followed by catchment, 35 per cent, and ELDs, 20 per cent. Catchment and ELDs form a standing rule. It is not something anybody can compromise.”

At Tuesday’s policy meeting, Prof. Oloyede had asked institutions to ensure that candidates on merit list are given admission first before other considerations.

(The Nation)

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