Admission disparity: Court orders FG to apply uniform cut-off marks

The declaration was contained in a judgment delivered in Lagos by Justice John Tsoho in a suit filed by Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, against the federal government and education minister challenging admission disparity at unity schools.The court declared that application of different cut-off marks based on states of origin and gender violates the candidates’ fundamental […]

The declaration was contained in a judgment delivered in Lagos by Justice John Tsoho in a suit filed by Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, against the federal government and education minister challenging admission disparity at unity schools.
The court declared that application of different cut-off marks based on states of origin and gender violates the candidates’ fundamental rights to freedom from discrimination guaranteed by Section 42 (1) of 1999 Constitution.
The court then ordered the federal government and minister of education to apply uniform cut-off marks to all candidates seeking admission into FGCs irrespective of their states of origin.
The case is based on Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution which prohibits administrative or executive actions by government that discriminate between Nigerians on grounds of ethnicity, gender, religion and place of origin.
Dr Agbakoba averred in his 19 paragraph affidavit to support the originating application that since the inception of the Unity Schools, the federal government has maintained great disparity in admission requirements for candidates wishing to be admitted into the colleges.
In particular, the federal government prescribes different cut-off marks for states based on candidates’ gender and states of origin.