There is a thread going around on X right now that a lot of Nigerian parents need to read. Not because it ends badly. It ends, actually, quite well. But the part in the middle, the part where a student who qualified by every measurable standard was simply not on the list, that part should bother all of us.
This is the story of a father, his son, a university registrar who offered Microbiology as a consolation prize, and a JAMB boss who picked up his phone and made things right.
The Score That Should Have Been Enough
The student in question scored 333 in his JAMB examination, a number that, by any reasonable measure, should have opened the door to a Medicine and Surgery program. His father, Dr. Muyiwa Kayode, had spent millions of naira preparing him for that moment. Years of tutoring, exam prep, and sacrifice, all pointing toward one goal: becoming a medical doctor.
So when the admission list came out, and his son’s name was not on it, something felt wrong. The university’s response made it worse. He was told, not apologetically, but flatly, that the best they could offer was Microbiology.
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Dr. Kayode pushed back. He told the registrar directly that he had not invested that much money to turn his son into a biology teacher. The registrar, by his account, was unmoved. The answer stayed the same.
The Decision to Go to JAMB
Most parents would have stopped there. Maybe grumbled, accepted the situation, enrolled the boy in Microbiology, and moved on. That is what the system expects you to do.
Dr. Kayode went to Abuja instead.
He walked into JAMB headquarters and asked to see Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. Oloyede asked for his son’s JAMB details, entered them on his laptop, and, within seconds, the picture became clear. His son was not just on the merit list; he was number three. Behind two candidates who scored 348 and 334, respectively.
None of the three had been admitted.
What Prof. Oloyede Said Next
Oloyede told Dr. Kayode to go home and sleep with both eyes closed. That is a direct quote from the thread. He then said something that has since been shared thousands of times across Nigerian social media:
“In sane countries, this institution should have sent the college driver with an official vehicle to go and fetch your son from Ekiti to campus, having projected himself into the merit list. But unfortunately, the endemic corruption in these institutions will just not allow them to follow due process.”
He then called the Vice Chancellor. Speaker on. Right there, in front of the father.
The VC apologized. Called it an oversight. Promised to fix it personally.
Within 24 Hours
The next day, all three names appeared on the admission portal. Number one, number two, and number three in the exact order their scores placed them. The system, for once, worked the way it was supposed to.
Today, that student, the one who would have been “criminally denied admission,” as his father put it, is in 400-level Medicine and Surgery. He tops his class with a GPA of 4.85.
What This Story Is Really About
People have been sharing this as a feel-good story. And it is, in a way. A father fought for his son and won. A powerful official used his position to do the right thing. The good guys came out ahead.
But think about the students whose parents did not go to Abuja. The ones who accepted Microbiology. Or Biochemistry. Or nothing at all. This story is not just about one family; it is a window into what happens every admission cycle in Nigerian universities, quietly, with no one watching.
Dr. Kayode himself said it plainly: “This is neither federal nor state government doing.” Every sector of the economy in Nigeria is corrupt.”
That is hard to argue with. The university, not JAMB, made the decision to leave those three students off the list. And it took a parent with the knowledge, the confidence, and frankly the resources to travel to Abuja to undo it.
Most families do not have those things. That is the part worth sitting with.
What You Can Do If This Happens to You
If you or someone you know is dealing with a suspicious admission outcome, here are a few steps worth knowing:
- Check the JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) portal directly. Your true admission status is recorded there, not just on the institution’s website.
- Document everything. Keep your JAMB result slip, post-UTME scores, and any written communication from the institution.
- Contact JAMB formally. You can write to JAMB or visit a JAMB state office to report irregularities.
- The JAMB Registrar’s office has historically been responsive to clear cases of merit-list manipulation. This story is proof that escalation can work.
- If you can, reach JAMB headquarters in Abuja. It is not an easy option for most families, but in serious cases, it has made a real difference.
The system is broken. That much is not news. What this story shows is that the system is not completely unresponsive if you know where to push.
Original Thread (Reproduced with Credit)
Originally shared by Dr. Love Haroun (@Drweloveu) on X (formerly Twitter). Reproduced below for reference.
1. My son, currently in 400 Level Medicine and Surgery scored 333 in JAMB but his name did not even APPEAR on the Admission List. I was later told by the Institution that, my son could be offered Micro Biology. I told the Registrar of the institution POINT BLANK that, “I have spent HUGELY (Several Millions of Naira) to get my Son to this Point of Entry (PoE) to become a Medical Doctor and not to become a Biology Teacher through her offer of Micro Biology. This Registrar was so MEAN. She simply told me, we are very sorry, Micro Biology is the BEST we can OFFER your son.
2. At this Juncture, I proceeded to JAMB Headquarters, Abuja to meet with Prof. Oloyede who swiftly asked for my son’s JAMB details, punched these details into his laptop and everything concerning the university came up on his screen.
3. Prof. Oloyede said and I quote: “Dr. Muyiwa Kayode, please go back home and sleep with your two eyes closed. From what I am seeing on my screen, your son is No.3 on the List of Medicine and Surgery of this institution with a JAMB SCORE of 333 which comes behind two other JAMB scores of 348 & 334 respectively. Unfortunately, none of these chaps, including your Son (i.e JAMB Score 348, 334 and 333) made the Admission List”
4. Prof. Oloyede continued and I quote: “Dr. Muyiwa Kayode, in SANE countries, this Institution should have sent the College Driver with an official vehicle to go and fetch your son from Ekiti to campus having projected himself into the MERIT LIST of this Institution but unfortunately, the endemic corruption in these institutions will just not allow them to follow Due Process”
5. Right in my presence, Prof. Oloyede put a call through to the Vice Chancellor of this Institution, setting his phone on speaker and spoke angrily at the Vice Chancellor, lamenting on the endemic corruption under his nose as it concerns university admission. This Vice Chancellor apologized to Prof. Oloyede saying what has just happened must have been an ERROR of OVERSIGHT on the part of his Management Team & promised Prof. Oloyede that he will personally ensure the Error of Oversight is corrected.
6. Within 24 hrs of that conversation between Prof. Oloyede and the Vice Chancellor, my son checked the university’s Admission Portal and discovered his name has been INCLUDED as Number Three on the admission list while the names of the other chaps that scored 348 & 334 also appeared on the admission list as Number One and Number Two respectively.
7. The good news in all of these is that, my son that would have been CRIMINALLY denied admission ab-initio now TOPS his class with a G.P.A of 4.85. This is neither Federal nor State government doing… Every sector of the economy in Nigeria is corrupt.
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