A parent, Akin Okunowo, has petitioned the Governing Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, over alleged bias against candidates from South-West states in the institution’s admission process.
Okunowo, a national leader of Anti-Cult Activities in Nigeria, in an open petition dated October 23, 2026, and addressed to the Governing Council through the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, called for the abolition of admission cut-off marks based on state of origin.
He argued that the practice disadvantages qualified applicants and undermines merit.
The petitioner cited cut-off marks he claimed were applied for Law and Accounting, alleging that South-West candidates faced higher thresholds than applicants from some other states.
For Law, he listed 76.875 for Osun, 76.53 for Oyo and 75.78 for Ogun, compared with 57.05 for Kaduna and 53.43 for Kebbi.
For Accounting, he cited 63.20 for Ogun and Oyo candidates, compared with 55.70 for Lagos.
“Your cut-off mark system is killing merit, killing OAU and killing Nigeria and its future — abolish it now!” he wrote.
Okunowo said the policy affected his son, who was born, raised and educated in Lagos but was denied admission to study Accounting after scoring 63 per cent.
According to him, his son’s cut-off was fixed at 63.20 because of ancestral link to Ogun State.
“My son who was born in Lagos State, raised and educated in Lagos scored 63% for accounting, but you put his cut-off at 63.20 because his great-grandparents were from Ogun State,” he alleged.
He also claimed that candidates linked to Kaduna and Lagos, who scored 59 and 56 per cent respectively, were admitted for the same course, though the circumstances of their admission were not independently established.
“Your blood is more important than your brain. The state of your grandparents is more important than your score,” he said.
The petitioner questioned why OAU, located in Ile-Ife, would demand 75.78 per cent from an Ogun candidate, 76.53 per cent from Oyo and 76.875 per cent from Osun to study Law, while requiring 57.05 per cent from Kaduna and 53.43 per cent from Kebbi for the same course.
He also faulted the university for allegedly not publishing the cut-off marks before the admission exercise.
Okunowo argued that the practice raises constitutional concerns, citing Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution which prohibits discrimination based on place of origin.
“It violates Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution which says no Nigerian shall be discriminated against based on place of origin. Cut-off by state of origin is unconstitutional. And we will challenge you in court,” he stated.
He urged the university to address educational disparities by investing in schools, teachers and remedial programmes rather than lowering cut-off marks.
“If a state is educationally less developed, give it more schools, more teachers, more funding, more bridging programs. Don’t give it lower cut-off for Law, Medicine, and other courses,” he wrote.
Okunowo demanded that the Governing Council abolish state-of-origin-based cut-off marks for the 2026 admission exercise and adopt a system of 70 per cent merit and 30 per cent catchment based on where candidates live and school.
“Return to what made Ife great: 70% merit, 30% catchment based on where a child lives and schools, not where his grandfather was born,” he demanded.
He also called for publication of all cut-off marks before admission begins to ensure transparency.
“OAU did not become Great Ife because of shameful cut-off marks like this. It became Great Ife because of merit. You are destroying its standard,” he said.
The petitioner warned that failure to meet his demands would lead to public campaigns, legal action and international advocacy.
Copies of the petition were said to have been sent to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Education, the National Universities Commission, JAMB and the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education.
As of the time of filing this report, the university had yet to respond to the allegations.