An emergency meeting of Senior University Officials has resulted in a decision that will spare thousands of students at the University of Benin from being locked out of their first semester examinations for the 2025/2026 Academic Session.
The virtual meeting, which brought together Provosts, Deans, and Directors on Sunday, 15 March 2026, was convened after management identified a troubling gap between the number of students who had paid school fees and those who had completed course registration. Data presented at the meeting pointed to an approximate ratio of three to one, raising the prospect of widespread exclusion from the ongoing examination period.
After reviewing the figures, University authorities resolved that no student would be barred from sitting their papers on the basis of incomplete registration or outstanding school charges. The decision was accompanied by assurances that measures would be introduced to maintain proper student identification and uphold academic integrity throughout the examinations.
The move acknowledges a reality that many Nigerian Universities have been slow to confront formally: that administrative bottlenecks and financial pressures often prevent students from completing registration within stipulated deadlines, through no fault of their own. Penalising such students at the point of examinations, management appeared to conclude, would cause more harm than the irregularities it sought to correct.
Students whose registration remains incomplete are nonetheless expected to resolve their status with the University once the examination period concludes, as the waiver applies to the current session only.
