Education
Nigerian universities promoting ethnic, religious biases – Kukah
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By Francesca Hangeior.
The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah said Nigerian universities are increasingly promoting ethnic and religious biases.
Kukah stated this in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday.
The cleric berated what he described as a worrying trend of declining diversity and meritocracy in Nigerian universities, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
Kukah said, “A mosque was constructed at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I delivered a convocation lecture in Calabar three weeks ago. After my lecture, the Chief Imam of the University came to congratulate me.
“But as I speak to you, Usman Dan Fodio, who is over 40 years old, Bayero University, and other universities in Northern Nigeria have decided to close their doors to the possibility of churches being built in the universities across this country.
“All this fanaticism we are seeing is expressed in public life. If students in the university or at the point of their growing up are not allowed to integrate and interrelate, and if churches or mosques cannot be built across this country, then there is a problem.”
The Bishop added that diversity and meritocracy, in Nigerian universities, have continued to diminish, while, ethnic and religious considerations are gaining prominence.
He stated, “There was a time when Ahmadu Bello University had lecturers from different parts of the world. Now, look at what has happened to our universities across Nigeria. Our universities have become just mere incubators of ethnic jingoism.
“So, I do not know which funded Federal University that you will name that has a Vice Chancellor that is not a local boy.
“So the universities themselves have become playgrounds for the ambitions of the local elite. The question is why should a place of worship be a problem for a university? Whether it is for the Muslim students in Calabar or the Christian students in Sokoto.
“I approached the Minister of Education about this. I have a letter from the Nigerian University Commission. The universities in northern Nigeria have refused to implement this recommendation,” he said.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the top scorers in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with a candidate seeking admission into the University of Lagos emerging as the overall best performer.
The announcement was made on Monday during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.
According to JAMB Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, the highest scorer in this year’s examination is Owoeye Jesudunsin, an indigene of Ekiti State who sat for the examination in Ogun State.
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Jesudunsin scored 372 out of the possible 400 marks and applied to study Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos.
Her score falls just three points short of the highest UTME score recorded in 2025, when Chinedu Okeke from Anambra State scored 375.
Coming second in the 2026 rankings is Ikenna Enwere from Imo State, who scored 370. He selected Nile University as his first-choice institution and intends to study Computer Science.
Ayomide Bamisile from Ondo State followed closely with a score of 369. He applied to study Software Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Akure.
JAMB also released the full list of top-performing candidates during the policy meeting, which brought together heads of tertiary institutions and key stakeholders in the education sector to discuss admission guidelines for the 2026 academic session.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will hold its 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions on Monday, May 11, where key decisions, including the minimum Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cut-off marks for the 2026/2027 academic session, will be determined.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.
According to him, the meeting will take place at the Body of Benchers Auditorium, Plot 688, Institute and Research District, FCC Phase III, Jabi, Abuja.
Benjamin added that key policy directions will be unveiled by the Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa.
He said, “The Board’s annual policy meeting on admissions is a crucial annual gathering where stakeholders decide minimum tolerable UTME marks, admission guidelines, and policies for tertiary institutions.
“Furthermore, the meeting is expected to, in particular, formally set the tone for the 2026/2027 admission exercise while impressing it on attendees the need to adhere strictly to stipulated guidelines.
“Attendees at the 2026 meeting would include critical stakeholders such as vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, registrars and their admission officers.
“Others are regulatory bodies ranging from the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), among others.”
The statement also noted that goodwill messages are expected from agencies including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and other stakeholders.
Benjamin disclosed that the event will feature the 6th edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Awards (NATAP-M), aimed at promoting compliance with admission guidelines and improving standards in tertiary education.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that results for candidates who sat for the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be released before midnight on Friday.
This was contained in a statement shared via X, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.
The post reads “RELEASE OF RESULTS FOR THE first day of the 2026 UTME .
This is to inform all candidates who sat for the 2026 UTME on Thursday, 16th April 2026, that their results will be released today before midnight.
“An official announcement will be made to the public and posted on this page as soon as the results are available.
Recall that the examination began on the 16th of April 20226.
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