A group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, has warned tertiary institutions against conducting post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination tests for candidates seeking admission.
LEDAP, in an open letter by its National Coordinator, Mr. Chino Obiagwu, on Wednesday, warned that any tertiary institution conducting post-UTME test risked being cited for contempt of court.
According to Obiagwu, LEDAP had obtained a court judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/979/15, barring universities, polytechnics and colleges of Education from conducting post-UTME tests for candidates seeking admission.
Obiagwu explained that the defendants in the suit won by the LEDAP were the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board; the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission.
According him, the court declared that only JAMB had the power to “conduct matriculation examinations and give admissions into tertiary institutions by virtue of Section 5 (1) (2) of the JAMB Act.”
“Furthermore, the court declared the post-UTME conducted by universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria as illegal, and further issued a perpetual injunction restraining all universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria from conducting post-UTME or any other form of admission screening test in Nigeria,” he explained.
Obiagwu said the warning became necessary as the organisation had got information that some institutions had started selling forms in preparation to conduct post-UTME tests.
“It is a contravention of the order of court for any of the concerned institutions to continue conducting these screening tests.
“We therefore demand that they stop selling these forms and immediately refund all the money collected as a result to the applicants.
“If the erring institutions do not forthwith stop selling these forms, and/or enforcing any other condition for admission into the institutions, we shall proceed to court and commence an action for contempt of court against them,” LEDAP said.