Parents, students decry unending delays in releasing degree results

By Obike Ukoh
 The University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), has just released the degree results for the last academic session. The examinations were taken in December, 2025.
Luckily for the students, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), announced that it would commence mobilization for the next batch of corps members in June. So, is just one month, between May when the results were released and June, when the eligible graduates would commence the compulsory one year national service.
With a hindsight, what is happening now is not commendable. In years past, release of degree examination results in UNN does not take that long, unarguably, the same with other universities.
Combined sessional examinations usually take place May/June, while degree examinations were completed also in June.
Results must be released within recorded time, as the NYSC mobilization usually start first week of August. That was then, not now.
The inability to compute and release results as and when due is one of the rots rocking public universities, especially state government owned universities.   
Students, now wait for months, if not years waiting for their results to be released. The hardest hit, are exiting students, that need the results to enable them participate in the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and for professionals, for their internship programmes.  
This issue has become chronic, as both students and parents groan and lament on the devastating effect of this delay.
Enraged by this development, a lawmaker in Imo State House of Assembly, recently drew public attention to the issue.
The Assembly debated the issue and berated tertiary institutions over the delay.
Mr Henry Agbasonu, the member representing Ezinihete State Constituency, who moved the motion, adopted by the House, called on Governor Hope Uzodinma to establish administrative policy to ensure prompt release of results.
The lawmaker stated that non-release of results at the appropriate time has resulted in many people not getting any employment because of the non-availability of certificates to show that they really studied that particular course.
He further stated that lack of immediate issuance of certificates delayed many students who wanted to further their academic career in other institutions or desire to participate in the NYSC programme.
“Such delays have continued to prevent many of our youths from studying in such institutions either for undergraduate or postgraduate programmes and it has continued to fester corrupt tendencies, where people intentionally make things difficult for others in order to rip them off.”
The lawmaker stressed that management teams of tertiary institutions in Imo State, should be compelled to ensure that their graduating students are no longer subjected to undue delays in the processing and release of statement of results, transcripts and certificates.
Others stakeholders, who spoke on the issue, aligned themselves with the position of the Imo State House of Assembly.
One of the stakeholders who spoke on the condition of anonymity, urged South-East governors, indeed governors nationwide to monitor developments in their various state universities, and give vice-chancellors order and directives on the issue.
He mentioned a particular state university in the South-East, where results of degree examination taken in December 2024 are yet to be released.
He queried, What will be the quality of students to be produced by a university unable to compute and release results of examination taken over 18 months ago? Kingsley Omorogiuwa, a Professor of Measurement and Evaluation, at University of Benin’s Department of Educational  Evaluation and Counseling  Psychology, stressed that no student should wait longer than three months after graduation to be mobilized for Service. Nobody wants to keep a student who has graduated longer than necessary,’’ adding that students on their own part should commence their clearance before senate approval of results.
However, the pervasive issue in many universities, is even lack of computed results before the senate to approve.
Mr Abia Onyike, former Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi, who spoke on the issue, lamented that the problem is recent, as it was not so during the time he was in the university.
Onyike blamed the universities of being responsible for some of the delays.
According to him, in some instances, especially in the highly sought after courses, universities admit more than the quota given to them.
For instance, some universities admit over 300 students into their law faculty, while they were given 150 as quota. Towards the period of graduation, many students must be dropped so as to meet the quota for law school admissions.
Another related factor is the corrupt practices by some lecturers who extort money from or misuse their powers to unjustly hold student to ramsome,’’ Onyike noted. The ex-information commissioner, said that these dubious actions, including commercialization of academic activities, contribute to the elongation of students’ period in the universities, if they cannot meet up financially. Onyike, also a former Deputy National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), stressed the need to strengthen the academic records section in Nigerian universities. Sometimes, delays are caused because of missing results of students. As a result, the correct CGP cannot be computed, thereby punishing the students for the inefficiency of the authorities.
This should not be so, competent personnel should be deployed to check this to ensure timely and correct computation of examination results,’’ Onyike emphasized.  Mr Stephen Akabuokwu Okocha, a retired federal civil servant, who spoke on the issue, lamented that this delay is a recent development. According to him, in the 1980s, one entering a tertiary institution, baring any challenges, already knows the exit date from the university. Institutions in Nigeria, then compete and maintain time and faith with their undergraduates.
Final year students’ results, especially that of second semester were given priority over other, bearing in mind that they were to join others from other institutions of higher learning for the compulsory one year National Service. Gone is such glorious day. Nowadays, students will complete their academic activities and projects and wait in their parents’ houses for two or three years for their results to be finalized,’’ Okocha lamented.
He said that the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Assembly and other stakeholders, should intervene to address the issue.
Okocha stressed that timely intervention is necessary, as students that opted for private universities, still graduate seamlessly.
He said that for now, the country cannot be said to be cultivating or pursuing academic excellence, as national agenda.
“Pay your school fees, complete and go home and stay indefinitely at limbo, is now the order of the day, Okocha regretted.
Stakeholders and analysts suggest that governors should emulate the recent action of Abia Governor, Alex Otti, who as Visitor to Abia State University, threatened to sack lecturers that perpetuate corruption.
 Vice-Chancellors and Senate of universities, should be compelled to sit up. Universities are Citadel Of Learning. That name is greatly devalued if universities cannot release results as and when due.
Unfortunately, public universities are the culprits, as private universities seamlessly release their results as and when due.