From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State government-owned University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) has refuted claims that it refused to screen applicants into the university who are under 16 years of age.
The Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Isaac Oluyi in a statement issued on Thursday said the university only complies with the policy of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) regarding admission into the universities in the country.
Oluyi said “the attention of the university has been drawn to a rumour flying around and the news carried by some news outlets that the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo is refusing to screen intended students who are under 16 years of age.
“This is not the true situation. It is a concocted story based on ignorance and or mischief and aimed at creating confusion in the public domain and unnecessarily embarrassing or blackmailing the institution.
“To this end, the University invites the public to note that the university does not have any minimum age limit as part of its admission policy.
“That the policy on 16 years age limit is the directive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the regulatory body for admissions into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, to all universities, and as a law-abiding institution, our university is bound to comply with the directives of JAMB.
“All shortlisted candidates who meet the requirements for admission into our university based on the criteria set forth by JAMB and as verified during our screening process will be offered admissions based on merit and available spaces.
“Proudly Nigeria’s first specialized medical and health sciences university, UNIMED in line with its TEA (Transparency, Efficiency, and Accountability) mantra, operates with a high level of transparency and integrity in all its affairs.
“We do not tolerate admission racketeering nor use liaison offices or external individuals for our admission process. Admission to UNIMED is strictly by merit and in line with extant laws and regulations from relevant regulatory bodies like JAMB.
“Again, we hereby reiterate that the 16-years minimum age limit is the national directive from JAMB to all universities in Nigeria and not a specific policy of our university. We, therefore, enjoin the public to ignore any narrative that seeks to paint a negative picture of UNIMED being discriminatory in its admission or suddenly instituting a policy to deny admission to candidates less than 16 years of age.
“UNIMED is a law-abiding institution that does not cut corners and will continue to comply with the directives of JAMB and other regulatory bodies on admission and other operational issues at all times. Please note again that the 16-year age limit is not our making, but a national directive from JAMB. It is pertinent to note that no journalist has so far contacted the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, on the matter,” Oluyi added.