The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has explained why it will not extend the registration deadline for candidates sitting for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
About two million candidates are expected to register between February 3 and March 3, with a daily registration target of about 60,000 candidates.
The UTME is Nigeria’s entrance examination conducted by JAMB for students seeking admission into both the country’s tertiary institutions.
About 782,027 candidates had so far registered across the 856 designated accredited centres nationwide out of which 11,553 are underage, as they are below the official minimum age requirement of 16 years for university admission.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this while monitoring the registration exercise at some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Lagos,
Some of the CBT centres visited include JKK House on Ikorodu Road, Yaba College of Technology, Human Development Initiatives in Iwaya, and Yaba Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) e-library.
Oloyede, while addressing reporters, expressed satisfaction with the registration process across the country.
According to him, JAMB has never had a registration process as seamless, fast, and efficient as this year’s.
He said: “Previously, we usually had cases of network failure, power outages, and other technical issues. But this year, the process has been very fast and smooth, and we expect it to continue this way until the end.
“That is why, as of this afternoon, we have already registered 782,027 candidates nationwide within just 10 days, which is less than two weeks out of the five-week registration period we set as our deadline.”
Oloyede noted that this year marks the first time the examination body has registered up to 80,000 candidates per day, with the figure increasing daily. Therefore, there will be no need for an extension of the registration period.”
He, however, noted that while there is an official minimum age for university admission, underage candidates who are exceptionally gifted are allowed to register for the exam as long as they can prove their capability.
“We have made a mockery of age limitations for university admission in Nigeria, but in other places, it is not like that. There are always exceptional students—perhaps one in a million. But no matter how few they are, we should not close the door on them, which is why we allow them to register,” Oloyede said.
Similarly, he added that JAMB permits candidates who are not yet ready for admission because they don’t have O’level results but wish to familiarise themselves with the CBT format to register for the exam.
Oloyede also clarified that candidates can register at any accredited CBT centre nationwide, as the UTME is an individual-based exam, rather than a school-based one.
