· Alumni says slap on integrity
· Demands full disclosure of benefitting students
· Varsity justifies action
By Sarah NEGEDU
The management of Yakubu Gowon University, otherwise known as the University of Abuja, are under immense pressure to reveal the identities of students who benefited from a recently approved amnesty for examination malpractice.
This is as alumni groups are accusing the institution of compromising academic integrity and standards in exchange for financial gains.
The outcry followed the decision of the university’s Senate to pardon students caught cheating between the 2020/2021 academic session and the first semester of 2024/2025, based on recommendations by its Central Examination Misconduct Committee.
The controversial decision, approved during the Senate’s 189th Regular Meeting on May 28, 2025, has since stirred backlash from within the school community and beyond.
However, defending the decision, the Acting Director of Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob, described the move as a reconciliatory gesture aimed at “ensuring fairness in academic justice.”
Yakoob in a statement issued, last week, explained that the students who benefitted from this amnesty cut across all faculties and levels.
“The decision was a result of careful consideration and was not politically motivated or targeted at any specific group.”
He stressed that while the university remains committed to disciplinary standards, the Senate, as the highest academic authority, has the power under Section 19(1) of the University of Abuja Act to intervene in such matters when deemed necessary.
These explanations have, however, done little to calm the old students led by a group known as Concerned Alumni of University of Abuja
The group is insisting that the move was a “shameful betrayal” capable of eroding the value of degrees earned by thousands of graduates.
The group in a statement jointly signed by Barr. Mohammad Usman and Oluwaseun Akintola, said most of them had initially dismissed the report as fake news
“When we first saw the news on our various alumni WhatsApp groups, we all dismissed it as fake news because, to the best of our knowledge, amnesty has never been granted to students caught cheating during examination,” they said.
The alumni are, therefore, demanding the immediate publication of names and matriculation numbers of all beneficiaries, insisting that the secrecy around the process was unacceptable.
They asked, “Why are the names of the students granted amnesty kept secret? We demand to know those who benefited from this shameful amnesty programme of our Alma Mater.”
The alumni also flagged the selective scope of the amnesty as suspicious. “Why does the amnesty only cover offences committed between the 2020/2021 academic year and the first semester of the 2024/2025 session? Why this selected period? Who are the special erring students in this period? Again, we demand to know.”
Beyond the issues around transparency, the group is also accusing the university management of shielding some powerful politicians who had been previously indicted and sanctioned for misconduct.
According to them, “After speaking with many lecturers who are still very bitter over the action, we make bold to say it was a decision taken in the interest of powerful politicians who were caught cheating during examination and punished.
“A lecturer even told us he heard that millions of naira was given to some persons in the school top management to free some political figures who feel their images were tarnished when the disciplinary committees of the school found them guilty.”
They also questioned why Prof. Lar Manko, who was appointed acting vice-chancellor for only six months, would preside over such a sweeping policy change with barely one month to the end of her tenure.
“We are wondering why Professor Lar Patricia Manko would superintend over such shameful action at this time. It raises more questions than answers,” the statement stated.
The group warned that the institution’s reputation of poor rankings could be further damaged. “At a time when the school rating has remained low throughout the years, this action by the Senate, chaired by the Vice Chancellor, would completely make it nothing more than a glorified secondary school.”
They also raised questions around the nature of the amnesty, and criticised the silence of oversight institutions.
“What are the terms of the amnesty arrangements for these expelled or rusticated students? Are they to come and collect certificates and go, or to come and rewrite the examinations they were caught cheating in?”
They further queried, “Why is the education minister, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa and National Universities Commission, very silent over the matter? are they accomplices?”
They warned that the policy has discouraged academic staff who previously took risks to uphold integrity.
“The morale of the lecturers who caught those big Abuja politicians and moneybags cheating during examination is down. After refusing millions of naira as bribes and receiving life-threatening messages, they are now watching the top leadership collect the same money or more to grant this shameful amnesty. How on earth do anyone expect these lecturers to continue standing firm in the face of this show of despicable shame?”
