Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said 1.94 million candidates are projected to sit for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across the country.
Oloyede said this while inspecting Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in Kaduna State.
The JAMB boss said at the end of the examination, there would be less than 100,000 candidates remaining in Lagos, Benue, and other states.
He explained that the pace at which JAMB cleared candidates and captured biometrics made the exercise faster. Oloyede said this was part of JAMB’s re-engineering process towards conducting hitch-free examinations.
“Even today, I have seen something which we need to improve on. But most importantly, we have done so many things in the background to make the exercise faster, more efficient and better. We have increased the level of automation,” he said.
The JAMB registrar frowned at examination cheaters, saying: “It does not pay.”
Also, Oloyede yesterday announced that the police had arrested a father for impersonating his son during the UTME. The JAMB registrar announced this while inspecting UTME centres in Kaduna.
He said this year’s edition of the examination was largely well conducted except for a few cases of impersonation. Oloyede said the board detected the cases of impersonation by some people having multiple National Identity Numbers (NINs).
The JAMB boss warned that those who cheat during the examination would be arrested now or after the examination.
He said JAMB has improved its technology to check those engaging in all forms of examination malpractices.
Addressing reporters after the inspection at the Kaduna State University (KASU) CBT Centre, Oloyede said: “For those who engage in cheating, they should know that it does not pay. The technology is helping us to check that.
“Across the country, most of the problem we have is impersonation. For instance, we say we have a NIN; we now have cases of people with two NINs. Therefore, that has defeated the purpose of identity verification. We are going to take that up with NIMC, that there are people who have two NINs.
“We have a case of a father impersonating his son, writing the examination for the son. I wonder: are you not destroying your son’s future? Of course, two of them are now in custody. I can’t understand what the father will now tell his son when they are both locked up in the same cell.
“This happened, definitely not in Kaduna, but I don’t want to disclose the state…”
The JAMB registrar said the UTME ended yesterday in Kaduna bit would end today and tomorrow in other places across the country. He sought the cooperation of the Lagos State government to build a befitting CBT in the state.
Oloyede said the Muhammadu Buhari mega-CBT centre, which could accommodate 4,000 candidates daily, was instrumental to the efficiency and timelines of the examination in Kaduna.
“This is why Kaduna is finishing earlier than other states in the country,” he said.
The registrar said JAMB required such a centre in Lagos State, where it puts pressure on the authorities to make provision for it.
“I believe the authorities in Lagos will hear our call and provide us with suitable land. We will develop it.
“I am not sure if there is a CBT centre that is as large, comfortable and meeting the standard as the Muhammadu Buhari mega-CBT centre here in Kaduna.
“We need at least three of such centres. We have the resources to build them. We only require the state governments to provide us with lands,” Oloyede said.
The registrar announced that Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum had provided land for the board to build a mega-CBT centre.
AbdulGafar Alabelewe,
