Posted by By DIPO KEHINDE on
University authorities in Ghana have alerted Nigerians to what could be a fraudulent act by an outfit in Lagos called Alpha-Rock Educational Consultants.
University authorities in Ghana have alerted Nigerians to what could be a fraudulent act by an outfit in Lagos called Alpha-Rock Educational Consultants. Alpha Rock, which has its office on Anike Apena Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja - Lagos placed adverts in Nigerian newspapers offering to secure admission, at a cost, for those who wished to attend the University of Ghana, Legon and University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Warning bells began to ring when the authorities learnt about Alpha-Rock's magnificent offer that gave the assurance that one could get admission into two of Africa's foremost universities without sweat. Usually, entrance examinations and interviews are held for prospective students. But Alpha-Rock's Executive Director, Mr. Adebola Rowland says he has removed these hurdles.
The tantalizing offer as contained in one of the adverts says: 'No Entrance Examination or Interview as usual, just present a sound SSCE, GCE or NECO Examination Result; most courses are available and all school fees are modest; we process limited numbers of applications for transfer to 300 level or 400 level in the legendary University of Ghana Medical School at Kole-Bu; Post Graduate Admission Forms are also available."
Fears of the Ghanaian authorities stem from these attractive proposition, which they say is 'false and misleading."
They also raised eyebrow over the fees for the application form, which is being sold for N35,000 by Alpha-Rock instead of the official fee of about N5,000, when converted from Ghanaian currency.
A statement issued in Accra and signed by the Registrar of the University of Ghana, Mr. T.A. Kanu said some unscrupulous people were going about extorting money from applicants and claiming they had the ability to facilitate their admission into the university. 'Only the University Admission Board has the power to admit students," the authorities said as they urged prospective students not to pay money to anyone claiming they could assist them to gain admission.
The statement further listed the fees for application forms such as Sub-Degree and Bachelor Degree programme - 350,000 cedis (N5,384); Post First Degree Law Programme - 400,000 cedis (N6,153); MBA/MPA/Ph.D. - 450,000 cedis (N6,923). The Registrar warned that anything above the stipulated price is fraudulent, but Rowland told Daily Sun that whoever wanted admission must pay him N35,000 as application fee and cost of processing. Then the person would bring three passport photographs, three copies of statement of results, even if it is NECO, which the authorities say they don't recognise. The only acceptable certificates are SSCE and GCE.
Moreover, the applicants must be ready to pay $5,500, as school fees per session. This according to Rowland covers accommodation, tuition and feeding.
This is another area where Rowland has been faulted. A Ghanaian official told Daily Sun: 'Nobody feeds students in universities in Ghana. That one stopped in 1985. Ghanaians don't pay tuition, but other things, you pay."
Contrary to what Rowland advertised, the official said nobody could transfer to 300 level in Ghana, but one could be considered for 200 level. 'It's not possible to transfer to the Medical School," he said. 'To enter the Medical School, you do one-year Preliminary. After that you write exams to see if you are fit for admission. People who come from America with medical degrees, when they come to Ghana, they look small.
'The only thing that can get you into a Ghanaian university is good result. Our degrees are not for sale. Cultism doesn't exist there. If you score zero, you get zero. Our system must be respected."
On the processing cost mentioned by Rowland, the official said there was nothing like processing. He said: 'The university handles it.
Every year the University of Ghana sends forms to the Ghana High Commission and after selling, the commission doesn't get involved, though the Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology, Kumasi used to conduct its interview at the High Commission."
Sources at the Ghana High Commission in Lagos spoke of a day when Rowland stormed the place spitting fire and threatening to deal with anyone who tried to stop what he was doing, when he learnt that moves were on to contact the police.
Further investigation revealed that Rowland was working in a school that belonged to a Ghanaian that sacked him. Thereafter, he went into business promising Nigerians, who desperately wanted admission into Ghanaian universities that he could make things easy for them.
Ghanaian authorities also frowned at Rowland's claim that he was representing their universities.
An official said, 'Legon is our premier university. How can he represent Legon? He was not authorised to do what he is doing."
Posing as a prospective student, the reporter was able to get full information from Rowland, who urged his guest to pick his form quickly because 'there is a big rush and the forms are running out. I doubt if you will meet anything by Monday (January 24)."