How Federal University Of Health Science Denied  Candidates Admission Despite High Scores

“… Victims allege favouritism for cronies”

By Akinwale Kasali

Azeez Sekinat Opeyemi  always dreamt of becoming a Science and Laboratory Technician. She has worked tirelessly in achieving this goal.

Having had good grades in her West African Examination Council, WAEC, she enrolled for her Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, exams and chose the Federal University of Health Science, FUHSI, Ila Orangun, Osun State to achieve her dream.

Interestingly, she scored 55.92 Percent in her Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, surpassing the 55.81 Percent Cut Off Mark for Medical Laboratory Science for Catchment.

She was joyous believing that she would be admitted into the institution to pursue her age-long dream. Sadly, her joy was short-lived. She was denied admission.

The tale of another candidate, Olawunmi Akanji, is pathetic. She also applied to study Medicine and Surgery at FUHSI and scored an aggregate score of 69.57 per cent, also surpassing her catchment cut-off.

She was also denied admission.

The two suffer the same fate as hundreds of prospective candidates who have been denied admission despite scoring good grades and meeting the requirements of the Institution.

Parents of one of the Prospective Candidates, Alhaji Azeez Rahman from Tede Atisbo Local Government Area, Oyo State, lamented that his daughter scored 207 in JAMB exam and applied to study Medical Laboratory Science at FUHSI. She scored 55.92 aggregate score in her Post UTME where the cutoff mark for medical laboratory science is 55.81 for catchment and still was denied admission.

Rahman said when he contacted the School for the denial of admission, he  was told that there was no explanation, that his daughter should go and write another JAMB Examination  for next session.

In the same vein, Olawunmi’s father, Mr Akanji, said that it is disheartening that the Institution has not been fair to the prospective candidates.

He disclosed that 100 were said to have been given admission into the Institution and 86 of them have already taken up their admission. 14 others set to join.

Sadly, he said those people that were admitted neither met the cut-off mark nor the Catchment cut-off to gain admission.

He alleged that when he probed why his daughter was denied admission despite meeting the cut-off point, he was asked who he knows in the School.

“I was told that the admission is gone that my daughter should go and sit for another JAMB next year. This infuriated me and I had to query why it should be like that. I was told that can I pay what those people that they gave admission are paying and who do I know”, Akanji stressed.

Another Parent who pleaded anonymity lamented that the admission is based on who you know and how much you can part with before your ward can be giving admission.

“FUHSI has become an Institution where admission is for sale. If you don’t have the financial muscle to bribe, your Ward can’t gain admission.  Only if you know any big and prominent person”, he said.

Following this allegation against FUHSI, efforts to reach its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Akeem Olawale Lasisi proved abortive, likewise the Registrar of the Institution, Kassim Babamale.

The reporter placed a call through to the Provost, College of Medicine, Prof. Aishatu Ahmed Gobir but there was no response, prompting the Reporter to send a message to him which he has failed to respond to before filing this story.