Controversy trails UniAbuja admissions as journalist alleges corruption

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) has come under intense scrutiny following allegations of irregularities and corruption in its undergraduate admissions process.

Veteran journalist and political commentator, Simon Reef Musa, has raised serious concerns over what he describes as a deeply flawed system that prioritizes financial inducements and connections over merit.

Musa, who is also a postgraduate student at the institution, recounted his daughter’s frustrating experience in securing admission despite meeting the academic requirements. According to him, she scored 273 in the 2024 UTME and had strong WAEC results, yet she was denied admission into her first-choice course, Law. However, some of her peers with lower scores were admitted.

The situation took a distressing turn when his daughter was allegedly approached with a demand for ₦500,000 to facilitate her admission into the Law program. Refusing to pay, she hoped her name would appear in the second admission list. But before its release, the university issued a notice advising candidates who applied for certain courses—including Law—to switch to other programs. Under pressure, she changed her course to B.Sc. Broadcasting and was promptly offered admission.

However, after paying both acceptance and tuition fees, she faced further setbacks during faculty registration. Musa alleged that university officials deliberately delayed the process by repeatedly demanding additional documents. After four days of frustration, she was informed that Broadcasting was unavailable and that she had been placed in the Film program instead.

“This is nothing short of academic fraud,” Musa lamented. “How does a university offer a student admission into a particular course, take their money, and then later inform them that the course is not available?”

The ordeal reportedly left his daughter mentally drained, forcing her to consider retaking the UTME to pursue her preferred course at another university. Musa further claimed that attempts to seek a refund were met with resistance, as the institution allegedly enforces a strict “No Refund Policy.”

Beyond his daughter’s case, Musa cited the experience of another applicant from Cross River who scored 312 in the UTME but was inexplicably denied admission. He questioned the credibility of the university’s admission process, suggesting that merit had been replaced by favoritism and financial inducements.

He also alleged that admission lists were manipulated to favor well-connected individuals, with some faculties and departments sidelined in the selection process. According to him, external consultants—not based in Abuja—were reportedly controlling admissions, raising concerns about transparency and fairness.

Expressing disappointment, Musa called on the federal government and relevant authorities to intervene in sanitizing UniAbuja’s admission process. He commended President Bola Tinubu for the recent removal of former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Maikudi, but insisted that more needed to be done.

“UniAbuja should represent the best of Nigeria’s academic excellence. It must not be reduced to a playground for corrupt practices and favoritism,” he asserted.

Musa revealed that he had contacted a lawyer to explore legal action against the university’s “No Refund Policy,” vowing to continue exposing the systemic rot in the institution. He also urged the newly appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lar, to prioritize restoring academic integrity in the next six months.

“The university needs external intervention rather than internal cover-ups. If we do nothing, we risk dooming the future of thousands of students whose parents cannot afford to pay their way into the system,” he warned.

As the controversy unfolds, all eyes remain on UniAbuja’s management and the federal authorities to address these allegations and restore confidence in the institution’s admission process.