- Says process of admission is digital and seamless
The Management of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpomam, has described as blatantly false, the reports making the rounds in some media platforms that the University was engaged in the sales of admission to the highest bidders.
The University, in a statement endorsed by the Head, Corporate Communications and Protocols, Otunba Mike Aladenika, said the reports on the alleged admission racketeering were baseless and should be described as “a new generation-falsehood which should be dismissed and trashed in its entirety.”
“The non-investigated and completely misguided and vengeful story could better be described as a poor job done for certain elements who are out for some mischief and image damage. It is a fact that provisional admissions were granted to students into our various departments and faculties as required by enabling laws guiding admission processes In the University. It is also a fact that upon this provisional admission, acceptance comes with specific payments after which you are expected to follow through with other requirements that would enable you to register and become a bona fide student of the university,” the state explained.
AAU in the statement further said that “the process of admission is digital and seamless. Those who follow through with the process online, have no issue as we speak. Take note that the process commenced with the acceptance of the provisional admission which needed to be completed on schedule to allow for the University’s calendar to be completely implemented.
According to the university, “Some of these candidates, after accepting the provisional admission, failed to complete the process until the quota was filled. Nevertheless, the University, in its wisdom, had to reassign such candidates to other departments and faculties mostly their second choice.
“To meet up with the deadline for registration process, the University issued a reminder to students who had made acceptance that their process must be completed on or before the 14th of August 2023 to guarantee studentship eligibility. To the best of my knowledge, the affected candidates are just about twenty in number for each of the courses in question – Law and Medical Laboratory Sciences. The number admitted into MLS is 88 in the desire of the University to meet admission quota, while that of Law is 135. Who then is buying these admissions? And why must a small number of candidates who failed to meet admission timelines through their own fault and therefore missed the opportunity now hold the University to ransom, energizing libelous reportage and crying blue murder?
“It should be categorically stated that the entire admission process, as driven by the Acting Vice Chancellor, was electronically facilitated, devoid of marginal human errors. There is nobody given admission without meeting up with the expected academic requirements. Absolute merit was considered (you can come and verify that), not patronage.
“We are challenging the news platform to prove, beyond reasonable doubts, that admission into the mentioned courses, and any course for that matter in the University was sold. He who alleges must prove. Our hands are clean. Our actions are responsible to the effect of its discharge.”
The state added that the university management observed that students who followed through with the process had almost concluded their registration, and advised that if the candidates concerned were still interested in their studentship of the university, “they should embrace their new departments and do the needful before the entire system is closed.”
The statement then called on journalists to always do due diligence in their reportage, assuring that “The University is open for fact checking of the process by any journalist who cares to. There is nothing to hide here. We are running an open administration and using our valuable time and energy to grow our University.”