University Don, Okeke decries spate of admission racketeering in Nigeria

By Cyprian Ebele,, Onitsha

An University Don,Tochukwu Okeke of the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, faculty of Arts, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, UNIZIK, Awka, Anambra state at the weekend, decried the .spate of admission racketeering  going on in Nigeria tertiary institutions..

Okeke made the disclosure at the 2026 Feast of Barracuda Lectures held at Inland town Onitsha, themed, “Admission racketeering in higher institutions, values, institutional suicide and the death of a Nation,” 

Okeke, who was the guest speaker at the event added that politicians are part of the problems.

He described admission Racketeering to include, sale of admission to lesser qualified candidates, manipulation of tertiary institutions admission for monetary rewards, selling slots meant for merit, catchment spaces (areas) and educationally disadvantaged  spaces.

According to him, “Catchment and merit, educationally disadvantaged areas, Vice Chancellor, (VC) list and staff children list contribute more than 75 per cent of the admission Racketeering.This has begun to erode the values that we display in our certificates.

“We pride ourselves on earlier days that we are graduates but today, it is not so. Ask a graduate a single thing in the discipline he studied, it becomes a problem.

“Also some slots are reserved for politicians. Instead of doing mass education for the society the politicians will be pressurizing the VC or head of the institution for their candidates’ slots. Before we thought this admission racketeering was meant for the mafia but now because of the monetary benefit everybody wants to belong,” he stated.

Prof Okeke attributed the problem of admission racketeering to under-funding of institutions adding that most schools don’t have enabling environments for functional laboratories, non-payment of enough salary which promotes the teachers to look for extra means of revenue generation to meet up with family obligations.

In his lecture, another resource person from Department of Theatre Arts, Faculty of Arts, Paul University, Awka, Charles Ajaegbu, said amissionon racketeering destroys institutional credibility, weakens societal values, and threatens national development.

” It represents a form of institutional suicide because universities and other tertiary institutions undermine their own integrity and purpose when they compromise standards for selfish interests. Ultimately, when education loses its moral and intellectual foundation, the nation itself suffers decline.

“The phrase “institutional suicide” suggests self-destruction caused by internal misconduct. Admission racketeering gradually destroys the credibility, functionality, and reputation of higher institutions.

“When educational systems become corrupt, talented students and scholars may seek opportunities abroad. This contributes to brain drain and weakens national intellectual development.

“When unqualified individuals gain admission through corruption, institutions may produce graduates lacking competence and professionalism. Such graduates may later occupy sensitive positions in medicine, law, engineering, education, and governance.

“The result can be: poor healthcare delivery, infrastructural collapse, weak  governance, unemployment and economic stagnation, loss of National Values and Identity:

“A nation’s identity is built on shared moral values such as justice, integrity, and fairness. Educational corruption weakens these values and promotes cynicism among citizens.

“Governments should increase funding and establish more quality institutions to reduce competition pressures. Ethical Reorientation: Society must promote values of integrity, merit, and fairness through education and public campaigns,” he said.

According to him, admission racketeering in higher institutions is not merely an educational problem; it is a moral, institutional, and national crisis. 

He said that by replacing merit with corruption, it destroys the values upon which education and society are built. 

“Institutions that engage in admission fraud commit institutional suicide by undermining their own credibility, standards, and purpose. Therefore, combating admission racketeering requires collective action from government, educational institutions, parents, students, and society at large. 

“Only through integrity, transparency, and commitment to merit can higher education regain its dignity and contribute meaningfully to national development,” he posited.

Earlier in his address, the host and President of Seadogs Onitsha chapter, Benjamin Agbala, disclosed that the body fights ills against society through advocacy programs, that include, energy, physical contributions, social work, among others, adding that the Barracuda Lecture is one of those means of fighting ills of the society 

“We fight the ills militating against a just society through advocacy programs, through physical contributions and social work . This Barracuda lecture is one of such avenues through which we fight the ills militating against the attainment of a just society.

“We organise lectures for people to be aware  and realize that things go wrong  because people are not aware or are ignorant. We bring in competent lecturers that will Lecture and tell the people so that awareness is greater. We have a series of lectures like Wole Soyinke on birthday and others.

“This feast of Barracuda lecture is one of the means of condemning the admission racketeering in our tertiary institutions. There is this dangerous fish called Barracuda fish, a very dreadful fish and when it is killed the other fish celebrate their freedom. So we have today killed the admission racketeering (Barracuda fish) since it is an Ill wind that blows nobody good.

“This is the 5th edition of this lecture since 2017 when we established Onitsha chapter and why it is only five times is because of the Covid-19 epidemic and former governor Willie Obiano’s exit period when mountain of refuse was at Oguta road and we had to clear it,” he hinted.