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2021 UTME: JAMB Threatens Withdrawal Of Candidates’ Results
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it would not hesitate to withdraw results of candidates involved in malpractice in the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), after thorough viewing of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras deployed for the examination.
This was as it disclosed that it recorded 40 cases of malpractices as well as arresting some security agents for involvement in various forms of fraud during the exercise.
The 40 cases of malpractices in this year’s examination, according to the board, were against the over 4,000 recorded in the previous year.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ish-aq Oloyede, made this known during an overnight visit by the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education to the board’s headquarters in Abuja.
Oloyede, who presented the 2020 budget performance of the board to the committee, said the introduction of National Identification Number (NIN) in UTME registration successfully flushed out ‘fake people’ from the exam process as well as curtailed malpractices.
“This year, examination malpractice dropped radically from over 4,000, 5,000 to about 40; and of the 40, not less than 50% of the 40 are traceable to institutions…..
“What we have this year is security agents trying to change candidates after they have been verified. After biometric verification, their parents would have paid security agents they will now smuggle him out and smuggle in new person whose finger was not verified, of course the CCTV cameras will pick them and that is why we are now arresting the security men, two or three have confessed that I paid N2,000, my mother paid N3,000 to smuggle in a person other than the person (registered for the exam) because they could not go through biometrics,” Oloyede said.
On the alleged poor performance by candidates in this year’s exam, Oloyede said UTME is not a certification exam; hence, there cannot be an issue of mass failure.
“Some people don’t know that in the ranking exam there is no pass or fail. You can’t fail it, you are just ranking them because what qualifies candidates for university education is not UTME, what qualifies you is five O’Level credits so, it is assumed all of them have five O’Level credits. I give this example; that somebody has a wife and five children and he is going to Lagos for Sallah and he said, oh, all of you are my children, how do I choose those to go with me? Ok, I will set a test for you. The first three will go with me.
“There is no pass mark. Somebody can score 9, the second can score 3, Nigerians will say 3 over 10? As if.., the exam we conduct is one chance exam. One chance exam! What that means is that anything can affect it, if you quarrel with your wife that morning it will affect your performance. In the certification exam you take more than three and there is continuous assessment. They don’t know what assessment is, rather than keep quiet they will be fouling the environment with ignorance,” he said.
Speaking further on the results, the JAMB boss said, “When we released the last results those who are making noise are the proprietors of schools and tutorial masters because of the money they have collected from the parents and their ability in the past to cut corners and get inflated results for people.
“We are blocking them and thanks to the Federal Government. The introduction of NIN really helped. Many people were making noise saying the introduction of NIN will put people under pressure, that thousands would not be registered.
“To show the statistics, after we have finished with the old (normal registration), we opened the new one, we said everybody who had not be able to take our forms due to NIN come and register, bring a draft of N4,000, so, that we don’t just make fake people to come around and they came.
“All of them were about 36,000, who were deprived because of NIN, but the gain for the country is better than 36, 000 that were not registered because of the fake number we were having.
“Last year we registered 2.2million, yes it is money for JAMB but that is not the type of money a nation needs,” adding that only close to 1.4million candidates registered for this year’s exam because of the NIN which prevented dubious registration.
Oloyode also revealed that plans are underway to put in place 2,500 capacity CBT centre in the present JAMB headquarters for the conduct of UTME and other exams for government agencies.
The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Hon Akon Eyakenyi, who led the team to JAMB, expressed delight and satisfaction with the report presented by Oloyede, especially in the area of the board’s expenditure and seamless conduct of UTME.
On some of the issues raised by the board, the committee promised to ensure an amendment of JAMB Act to prohibit regularisation of illegal admission and prescribe a minimum age that must be attained by a candidate before gaining entry into the university system.
She said, “The interaction with the registrar of JAMB today revealed a lot of truth that Nigerians don’t know as it relates to conduct of special exams like the UTME. I would like to first appreciate the registrar, his management team. Indeed, today’s revelation has proven that the registrar is a round peg in a round hole. He knows what it takes to run an institution like this. Most of the revelations on things we saw are not what should be exposed to the public in terms of the conduct of the exam.
“The indices; what they are looking for. What the registration bodies should do, what the admission institutions should do. I want to say that they have done very well. The progress so far, what we have seen as a committee over-sighting board. We want to congratulate them for the great work they have done. If this continues, definitely the educational sector in this nation will be improved. That is what we are looking out for.
“JAMB serves as a bridge between the secondary and the university, if the products from the secondary school are not properly catered for and reassessed before turning them to the university, definitely we will have a problem as to the students in the university. JAMB is doing a great job in that aspect.
“Our own work is that of making laws, we have identified two major areas that we need to go into the process of amending the Act establishing JAMB that is the area of support that we will give, other than that, we also intend to pass on what we have seen today to the appropriate MDAs, the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the support that JAMB needs is given to them.”
Other members of the committee that took part in the oversight visit include, Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, Senator Francis Ibezim, Senator Kola Balogun and Senator Stephen Odey.
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Basic Education has said it would work towards amending the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to stop the board from admitting candidates below the age of 18 years.
This was disclosed by the Vice Chairman of the committee, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, during the committee’s oversight visit to JAMB.
According to the committee, age has a lot to do with learning ability, particularly in higher institutions.
Eyakenyi noted that education was very important in the development of the country stressing that the sector deserves to be given much attention.
The senator described the JAMB as a bridge between the secondary and the university, stressing that the agency was a necessary vehicle for the delivery of quality and standard education in Nigeria.
“If the products from the secondary schools are not properly catered for to be assessed before turning them into the university definitely you will have a problem,” she said.
The Organised Labour yesterday, called on the Federal Government to ensure inclusiveness in policy making and guide against erosion of rights, such as free speech and association.
The President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero made the call at the 2025 Workers’ Day celebration held at the Eagle’s Square, Abuja.
The Tide source reports Ajaero and the President, Trade Union Congress, Mr Festus Osifo delivered a joint statement on behalf of the organised labour at the event.
Ajaero described May Day as, not only a moment to honour workers’ sacrifices, but also a platform to demand justice and accountability from those in public office.
He frowned at the alleged suppression of protests, and the erosion of rights of workers by some agents
According to him, workers have a duty to resist economic injustice, insecurity, and policies that undermine their dignity.
Speaking on the theme of the day, the NLC President underscored the need for Nigerian workers to reclaim the civic space and resist policies that contribute to worsening economic conditions.
“Our theme this year – “Reclaiming the Civic Space in the midst of Economic Hardship – reflects the urgent need for citizens to protect democracy and push back against repression.
“The civic space, where Nigerians express their concerns and challenge injustices is shrinking.
“If we fail to reclaim this space, the foundation of our democracy risks collapse,” he said
Ajaero, therefore, urged workers to unite and resist division, fear, and despair.
He also urged them to mobilise and organise for change, declaring that the right to demand better conditions is non-negotiable.
“Without workers, there is no society; without labour, there is no development. We must take our place in the fight for economic justice and democratic governance.”
Speaking in the same veins, Osifo said workers are the backbone of the nation—the educators, healthcare providers, builders, farmers, and innovators who sustain its economy -.
He stressed the need for the labour to reclaim the civic space even in the midst of economic hardship.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disassociated itself from a fraudulent site requesting payments from candidates who missed the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The board said that the site, “Copyrightwriter Personal J Rescheduling Flw” and account number 8520641017 at Sterling Bank, associated with it, are scam.
The disclaimer is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin.
Benjamin said the account is being exploited to defraud unsuspecting candidates who missed their UTME.
“We issue this urgent notice to inform the public about this nefarious scheme targeting candidates who were unable to participate in the UTME.
“Some unscrupulous individuals are deceitfully soliciting payments of N15,700 under the false pretence of offering rescheduling services for the examination.
“Let us be unequivocal: this, it is a blatant scam, and we are confident that the public will not fall prey to such cheap and regressive tactics.
” The individuals behind this scam have no affiliation with JAMB or any legitimate government agency.
“The account details provided in these communications are entirely fictitious and bear no connection to any official processes; they exist solely for the purpose of perpetrating fraud,” he said.
Benjamin called on Sterling bank to take immediate and decisive action against this criminal activity.
According to him, JAMB has reported the matter to the relevant security agencies and actively pursuing those responsible for this deceitful act.
He further said that “JAMB does not reschedule examinations for candidates who miss their scheduled tests due to reasons unrelated to the Board’s actions”.
He, however, said that the Board is conducting a thorough investigation for candidates whose biometrics failed during verification and were thus unable to sit for the examination.
He said those without discrepancies would be invited to retake the examination at no cost , stressing that “no cost is required”
“It is imperative to understand that JAMB does not charge any fees for examinations after a candidate has completed their registration.
“We strongly urge all candidates to remain vigilant and not to succumb to these fraudulent schemes.
“Protect yourselves and report any suspicious activity immediately,” he explained.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has expressed its willingness to partner with the United Nations (UN) to accelerate the development of the Niger Delta region.
Dr Samual Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, made the appeal in a statement issued by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on yesterday.
According to the statement, Ogbuku sought the UN’s support during his visit to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (UNRHC), Mr Mohammed Fall, at the UN regional office in Abuja.
He called on the global body to provide the NDDC with technical assistance and expert services to support the region’s development.
“We are eager to collaborate with the UN, recognising that the state governments in the region and the NDDC alone cannot achieve the level of regional development required,” he said.
Ogbuku identified key areas where support would be needed, including the provision of portable and affordable drinking water powered by high-tech solar energy sources.
He also highlighted the importance of reforesting the mangrove swamps, which have been severely damaged by decades of environmental degradation caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta.
“Although the NDDC has made progress in providing solar-powered streetlights across the region, we still require UN support in delivering solar energy solutions for residential buildings.
“We also wish to explore the possibility of installing solar mini-grids in homes across communities, which would boost local commerce and trade,” he added.
The NDDC managing director further appealed for increased UN involvement in areas such as healthcare, education, youth training, gender development, and food security.
Ogunku stated that such interventions would significantly enhance the standard of living in the region.
In response, Fall affirmed the UN’s readiness to collaborate with the NDDC to fast track development in the Niger Delta.
He assured that the UN would support initiatives in food security, job creation, education, and renewable energy, among other areas.
“We aim to approach development in the Niger Delta holistically, rather than focusing solely on environmental pollution.
“This is merely an entry point; however, the UN’s development vision aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are designed to positively impact various aspects of people’s lives,” Fall stated.
He assured the NDDC of continued and fruitful engagements to drive the region’s development.