Obafemi Awolowo College, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has rejected allegations of ethnic discrimination in its admission procedure for the 2025/2026 educational consultation, insisting that admissions are carried out in keeping with acceptable federal executive insurance policies and regulatory tips.
The college’s Public Family members Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, mentioned this in a press remark responding to an open petition authored through Akin Okunowo, who described himself as a countrywide chief of anti-cult actions in Nigeria.
The petition allegedly accused the establishment of ethnic marginalisation, forsaking advantage and intentionally discriminating towards applicants in its admission procedure.
Then again, the college maintained that such allegations didn’t as it should be replicate its admission framework.
“OAU unequivocally rejects any advice that its admission procedure is pushed through ethnic hostility, a secret schedule towards Yoruba scholars or a planned try to compromise educational requirements,” the remark mentioned.
Olarewaju defined that the college, as a federal establishment, operates inside of nationwide admission insurance policies and regulatory necessities established through the Federal Executive and related statutory government answerable for college schooling in Nigeria.
He mentioned the admission framework regarded as a number of components, together with applicants’ educational efficiency, to be had areas, programme-specific necessities and authorized admission standards, along insurance policies selling geographical illustration and academic get entry to.
“The target isn’t to undermine educational excellence or punish any Nigerian as a result of his or her state of starting place, however to pursue equity and inclusiveness inside of a various federation whilst retaining the educational requirements anticipated of a credible establishment like ours,” the remark added.
The college famous that federal admission insurance policies integrated concerns of advantage, geographical illustration, nationwide integration and get entry to to schooling.
It mentioned those ideas had been mirrored in acceptable tips, together with provisions on the subject of catchment spaces and educationally deprived states.
In step with the remark, “variations in admission thresholds below an permitted framework must no longer routinely be interpreted as proof of ethnic discrimination or institutional hostility.
“The College does no longer exist out of doors the regulations and insurance policies governing federal universities. As an establishment below the supervision of the Federal Executive, the College is obligated to function in keeping with acceptable nationwide admission tips and the directives of the related regulatory government.”
Addressing allegations relating to admission into Legislation and Accounting programmes, OAU mentioned it was once beside the point to decide whether or not person admission selections had been honest primarily based only on decided on rankings with out analyzing the entire authentic admission data and related regulatory provisions.
The college steered applicants and oldsters who believed that admission selections had been inconsistent with authorized tips to post formal lawsuits via its established channels for verification and evaluate.
Such lawsuits, it defined, must specify the programme, admission consultation, candidate’s credentials, acceptable admission class and grounds for difficult the verdict.
The establishment added that correctly submitted lawsuits can be regarded as in keeping with established procedures and acceptable rules.
“OAU has not anything to realize from denying admission to certified applicants arbitrarily, nor does it have any institutional hobby in discriminating towards Nigerians on ethnic grounds. The college stays answerable for enforcing admission insurance policies slightly whilst keeping up educational requirements,” it mentioned.
The establishment additionally steered the petition’s creator to direct grievances regarding the Federal Executive’s admission coverage to the precise government, together with the Federal Ministry of Schooling, the Nationwide Universities Fee and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the place a evaluate or modification of the coverage was once being sought.
OAU said that admission into aggressive programmes may result in sadness amongst applicants and their oldsters however suggested stakeholders to be sure that public discussions about admission insurance policies had been in keeping with verified knowledge, acceptable rules and compelling proof.
Reaffirming its dedication to transparency, educational excellence and institutional responsibility, the college mentioned it remained open to optimistic engagement with scholars, oldsters, schooling stakeholders and individuals of the general public.
“Nice Ife stays Nice—no longer as a result of it’s past complaint, however as a result of its enduring dedication to studying, excellence and nationwide building transcends the controversies of the instant,” the remark concluded.