UNILAG is facing backlash after AI errors disqualified high-scoring candidates during Post-UTME screening.
Parents and students demand accountability, warning technology without oversight risks ruining deserving applicants’ chances at admission.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has come under heavy criticism after technical errors in its Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitoring system led to the disqualification of several top-performing candidates during the recently concluded 2025/2026 Post-UTME screening.
The exercise, which took place from September 1 to 5, was marred by reports that the AI system wrongly flagged normal student behavior as examination malpractice. Among those affected was a candidate who scored 350 in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination but was disqualified by the system despite maintaining his innocence.
Aggrieved students and parents have since demanded that UNILAG release video recordings of the screening sessions to verify the integrity of the process. Critics argue that reliance on AI without human oversight risks jeopardizing the future of qualified students.
“This is unfair. How can a system that is supposed to help ensure transparency end up punishing innocent candidates?” one parent lamented.
The controversy has reignited debates about the use of artificial intelligence in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Similar complaints were previously recorded at Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan, where AI-based screening tools also produced questionable results.
Education analysts warn that without stricter checks and balances, the adoption of AI in sensitive processes, such as admissions, could undermine trust in the system.
As of Friday, UNILAG has not issued an official statement addressing the grievances. The silence has only deepened frustration among affected students, many of whom fear losing their chance at admission despite meeting all academic requirements.
Stakeholders are now urging the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to step in and ensure fairness for applicants while also reviewing the standards for AI deployment in higher education admissions.
