NYSC Nightmare: Thousands of Nigerian Graduates Blocked After JAMB Declares Their Admissions Fake

Thousands of Nigerian graduates have been locked out of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) flagged their admissions as fraudulent.

This shocking development affected about 14,000 students from various universities across the country, including Ambrose Alli University, Ahmadu Bello University, Imo State University, University of Calabar, Lagos State University, University of Benin, Federal University of Technology Akure, Kwara State University, and Edo State University, Iyamho.

Many of the affected individuals said they accepted their admission offers years ago and were listed on JAMB’s matriculation portal, only for their Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) profiles to suddenly label their status as “fake admission” just days before NYSC Batch B Stream 1 mobilisation.

One graduate shared, “We took the UTME, but our admissions came directly from the schools, not through JAMB. We’ve been asked to regularise our admission through the school for years, but nothing has worked.”

In their final year, JAMB reportedly issued a directive that students complete their regularisation at its state offices. However, the process was frustrating and fruitless for many. Students were bounced between schools and JAMB offices, with no resolution in sight. Some even paid for the regularisation themselves, believing they had followed the correct steps—only to have their efforts invalidated in 2024.

“Everything seemed fine until April 2024 when our CAPS suddenly read ‘fake admission’. JAMB later directed us to visit their offices, but nothing changed. Some of us went as far as Abuja, only to hear that the JAMB portal had been hacked and some suspects arrested,” another affected student said.

The impact has been devastating. Graduates say they can’t go for NYSC, apply for postgraduate studies, or even get decent jobs due to the blocked academic records. “We’ve become a burden to our families,” one lamented.

JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the issue, attributing it to illegal admissions granted by tertiary institutions without proper approval through JAMB’s system. He insisted that candidates must be admitted via the official process and meet all academic requirements.

“The law is clear. Admissions must go through JAMB, and any student who bypassed the process cannot be recognised. We’ve stopped condoning such irregular admissions,” he said.

Dr. Benjamin added that the window for retroactive regularisation has now closed, as the board aims to maintain admission standards and integrity.

The affected students, especially those from institutions like Ambrose Alli University, are now appealing to JAMB and other authorities to urgently intervene, restore their records, and allow them to move forward with their careers and lives.