After months of uncertainty and heartbreak, Basola Jamiu Owodunni, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) graduate whose admission was flagged as “fake” by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has finally been cleared — and will now join the next batch of NYSC.
The heartwarming update was shared by education advocate Alex Onyia, who has been vocal about systemic failures in Nigeria’s education sector.
Basola, who graduated with a 4.41 CGPA in Civil Engineering, was thrown into chaos earlier this year after discovering that his admission was not recognized by JAMB — despite successfully completing his program and graduating with honours.
Cleared at Last
In a post shared online, Alex Onyia wrote:
“I have an update regarding Basola Jamiu Owodunni, the FUTA civil engineer student whose admission was earlier marked as FAKE from JAMB after graduating with CGPA 4.41 in Civil Engineering.
The good news is that it has been resolved. He can now access his JAMB portal and also he will be going for NYSC next batch.”
Even more shocking was the revelation that over 4,000 other students nationwide had faced similar issues, but their cases have also been resolved following massive outcry and intervention.
“In addition, 4000 plus more students with similar issues have been resolved,” Onyia added.
Nigerians React
Social media erupted with relief and anger as users expressed joy for Basola while also criticizing the system that put him through such trauma.
@majorlouwe wrote:
“Wow did you say 4000 more students??? JAMB is the weapon fashioned against Nigerian students…. the village people that people dread is inside JAMB…. a huge institutional failure.”
@donald_segun commented:
“This situation happened in the first place because someone refused to do their job. Basola was humiliated and branded a criminal all because of one lazy civil servant’s failure.
The sad part is, we’ll never know who. No punishment. No accountability. Basola could’ve harmed himself if this wasn’t resolved.”
@irishkreamy simply put it:
“Village people don lose this fight.”
The Bigger Picture
Basola’s story sheds light on the structural flaws in Nigeria’s higher education system — where students are often left helpless due to administrative oversights or negligence. In this case, it took public pressure and online advocacy to get justice.
While Basola’s case ends on a positive note, education advocates are calling for systemic reform to ensure such errors are prevented and no other student has to endure the same nightmare.
NaijaBlog celebrates Basola’s victory and stands in solidarity with all Nigerian students pushing through a broken system.
