Universities across the country have indicated they won't oppose the recent move by the federal government to abolish the post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) they conduct for admission seekers. Initially, UTME was conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as a prerequisite for admission into degree courses.

Now, the universities charge post-UTME fee of between N2,500 and N10,000, per candidate, and also charge what they called admission acceptance fee, ranging from N10,000 to N60,000. The government recently spoke against the conduct of the post-UTME by universities. Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu said in Abuja during a JAMB stakeholders meeting, that as long as universities had confidence in what JAMB does, there was no need for post-UTME. However, while government is not in support of the post-UTME being conducted by universities, it has yet to issue an order against it. The Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, Mr Ben Gong, said: "There was no official statement from the ministry about post-UTME."

The universities used to hold the post-UTME screening as a way of testing the suitability of applicants for admission. Universities contacted by our reporters expressed their support for the post-UTME cancellation but none appears to have taken a decision on whether to continue charging acceptance fees or not. The Benue State University (BSU) in Makurdi welcomed the decision, according to its public relations officer, Mr Tse Vanger, who said that his institution "would wholeheartedly accept it."

The University of Ilorin, when contacted on the development said it has not taken a decision on what the minister said about post-UTME. Mr Kunle Akogun, the University's deputy direction information, said the management has not met to discuss the matter and promised to get back to our reporter once that was done. Meanwhile, The Dean, Post Graduate School, University of Ilorin, Professor Badmas Yusuf, has appealed to the government to review its decision on post-UTME screening. Badmas said that without the post-UTME screening of admission seekers, universities would end up as market places where academic competence and quality would no longer be considered for admission. Instead of outright abrogation of the scheme, Badmas said that there could be reduction in the fee charged for the scheme by institutions. Badmas, called on the minister to direct the Committee of Vice-Chancellors to evaluate the post-UTME exercise.

A privately owned university, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, ?said that it doesn't conduct post-UTME but, instead, screens applicants. "As a privately owned university, we do not engage in such, we are not affected by the decision of the federal government, so we don't have any issue concerning that," Dr Abdullateef Oladimeji, the director of communication said. The Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Professor Michael Adikwu, supported the decision to scrap post-UMTE, saying: "Post-UMTE screening is not necessary. Some people say we are getting better students, every student is good." Adikwu said that JAMB should conduct all admissions.

"Why multiple layers of exam? It is the multiple layers I don't agree with. You can even simplify it more if you have a situation where each university writes its exam, it is better." He said that JAMB must stop sending candidates to private universities or institutions they did not apply for. The Vice-Chancellor of the Adamawa State University (ADSU), Mubi, Dr Moses Zarwa, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Modibbo Ada?ma University of Technology (MAUTECH) Chapter, also voiced their support for scrapping of post-UTME examination.

Zarwa, who said that the ADSU has never conducted post-UTME for applicants, added that scrapping of the exam was in the best interest of Nigerians. "All we do here is screen candidates," he said. "We don't do post-UTME. They come with their papers, we have the master list from JAMB and we check their SSCE and make sure they have the requirements." ?Similarly, the ASUU chairman in MAUTECH, Yola, Dr Sadiq Umar, said that post-UTME cancellation would relieve parents and students of unnecessary burden, adding that the union supports the move.

He, however, expressed his reservation with the 180 points minimum mark for UTME, saying that could force the universities to admit beyond their carrying capacity. The University of Lagos (UNILAG) also announced its readiness to comply with the directive of the government to stop post-UTME. Oluwatoyin Adebule, the deputy registrar, information, said that UNILAG is ready to comply with the government's directive, adding: "We are a federal government's institution. We have no choice but to comply. In fact, we have started putting measures in place to return to that system of taking prospective students from JAMB, and implementing JAMB's policy of offering admission to students from Education Disadvantaged States? (EDS)."

The Chief Public Relations Officer of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Mr Omeaku Okwun, said that the university has not taken a stand on the government's proposed ban on post-UTME but will abide by the position of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities. The Public Relations Officer of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Malam Zailani Bappah, said: "Our university has not been conducting post-UTME examinations. We have never done that since Nigerian universities began the exercise. We give admission to any students who were given admission by JAMB."

However, the Vice-Chancellor of the Bauchi State University, Itas/Gadau, Professor Izzeddeen Abdulrahman, who spoke on telephone on the issue said that although they are aware of the directive, they haven't got further correspondence, either from the ministry of education or the National Universities Commission (NUC).However, one argument that the universities put forward for charging these fees is that they provide revenue for the development and maintenance of facilities. These sources of income, of course, serve as distinct avenues for revenue generation, away from millions of Naira pumped into universities by the government.

Thus, a BUK graduate, Raheema Suleiman, pointed out: "When these fees are multiplied by the number of students who apply for admission every year and if the money generated is truly for development, as claimed, our tertiary institutions should be among the bests in the world."