The University of Ibadan (UI), has officially matriculated 4,215 students into its undergraduate programmes for the 2024/2025 academic session.

The matriculation ceremony took place at the university’s International Conference Centre on Wednesday, where the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, addressed the new students, urging them to pursue excellence and uphold the university’s legacy of integrity and discipline.

“Strive for excellence, demonstrate good character and discipline, leverage available opportunities, engage in community service, uphold integrity, and avoid plagiarism and exam malpractice,” he charged.

Providing insights into the admission process, Professor Adebowale described the admitted students as the “champions of the champions,” highlighting the competitive nature of gaining admission into Nigeria’s premier university.

“Nearly 22,000 candidates applied to the University of Ibadan through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), including both UTME and Direct Entry applicants from within and outside the country,” he revealed.

He further explained that 11,912 candidates met the required 200-point UTME threshold and sat for the university’s Post-UTME screening.

“Of these, 7,017 candidates scored 50 per cent and above. Ultimately, 4,411 students were admitted through UTME, while 238 gained admission via Direct Entry,” the vice-chancellor stated.
“Out of the staggering 22,000 applicants, only 4,215 were cleared to become bonafide students of the University of Ibadan.”
Ahead of the matriculation, the university held a two-day orientation programme for the newly admitted students, focusing on character development, academic excellence, campus engagement, and student safety.

Recent investigations into the disbursement of the Federal Government Student Loan Fund have uncovered several unethical practices by some institutions of higher learning.

According to the latest report by the Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers (COMO), of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), schools and banks are conspiring to short-change the students.

Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the Director General of the NOA, announced the findings after meeting with NELFUND Managing Director, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, over the weekend. Initial reports indicated that certain university officials have been withholding vital information regarding loan disbursements, prompting immediate action from NELFUND.

The NOA’s feedback shows how specific institutions have, in connivance with some banks, deliberately delayed payments to successful student applicants for personal financial benefit. Some universities fail to acknowledge the NELFUND’s disbursements to the students. Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr confirmed that some institutions are failing to inform students about loan disbursements made in their name while still requiring them to pay tuition fees.

He stated, “Recent findings by NELFUND have shown that some institutions have received student loan disbursements directly into their accounts yet neglect to inform the affected students or record the payments in their financial records, leading to unnecessary confusion. Withholding critical financial information from students is not only unethical but also a breach of the principles on which NELFUND was founded. We are prepared to take legal action against any institution engaged in such deceptive practices.”

In response, Mallam Issa-Onilu has issued a strong warning to these institutions and collaborating banks to cease such activities.

NOA has directed its state directorates to provide further feedback from students across the country to ensure that the Federal Government takes appropriate actions against erring schools and banks.

Barely a week after Ekwutosblog reported that the management of the Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, lamented over the continuous payment of a monthly minimum wage of N18,000 to the institution’s workers, the Edo State Government has approved a N70,000 minimum wage package for the staff.

Ekwutosblog reports that the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, Chief Dan Orbih, disclosed this after the Council’s 235th Regular Meeting held between April 3 and April 4, 2025.

A statement by Mike Ade Aladenika, Principal Assistant Registrar and Head of Information and Public Relations of the institution, dated April 10, 2025, and made available to newsmen in Benin City, said the leadership and members of various functional unions at the university commended the Governing Council for the welfare package.

Aladenika said the unions noted that the approval of the N70,000 monthly minimum wage was long overdue.

Ekwutosblog had on March 28, 2025 reported that the management of the state-owned university lamented that staff of the institution are still receiving N18,000 minimum wage as against the N70,000 approved for workers in the Edo State public service by the immediate past government of Godwin Obaseki.

The Principal Assistant Registrar/Head of Information and Public Relations of the institution, Mike Ade Aladenika, who had decried the development in a chat with newsmen in Benin City, noted that all agitations to ensure that the workers benefit from the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the government were not successful.

“I will make bold to tell you that workers in AAU as of today are still on N18,000 minimum wage while other civil servants are on N70,000. All agitations with the past government were to no avail,” he said.

The unions’ leaders, however, unanimously expressed appreciation for the Council’s approval of the minimum wage to be at par with colleagues in the state’s public service.

“Under the previous administration, our efforts to ensure the implementation of the minimum wage were unsuccessful, and union leaders faced victimization for advocating better worker welfare.

“But today, the unions did not pressurize the current Governing Council before the approval. This highlighted the Council’s proactive approach to addressing staff concerns,” he added.

The university image maker said the Governing Council had assured staff and students of “well-thought-out policies” to reshape the institution’s fortune for the better.

He said that the chairman of the Governing Council, Dan Orbih while speaking after the Council’s 235th Regular Meeting, added that the Council approved the N70,000 new minimum wage as recommended by the National Universities Commission.

He said the new minimum wage takes immediate effect.

“This move comes after staff members faced challenges under the previous administration, including non-implementation of the approved minimum wage and other welfare benefits”, he stated.

He, however, urged the staff to rededicate themselves to their duties, promising further benefits for dedicated employees.