The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to accredit a total of 1,039 computer-based test centers nationwide for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, revealed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Ilorin during an accreditation visit of CBT centers.
Oloyede stated that 52 inspection teams had been deployed across the country to re-accredit or dismiss facilities that did not fulfill the board’s requirements.
He noted that the annual certification process was important to verify compliance with the established conditions, emphasizing that previous clearance did not guarantee continued eligibility.
“The fact that you qualified last year does not mean you qualify this year,” she remarked.
The registrar described the exercise as “so far so good,” with only a few previously involved centers attempting to reappear.
“Some centers that were implicated in examination malpractice last year, not in Kwara State though, have repackaged themselves this year, moving from one center to another,” he informed us.
Oloyede stated that JAMB had strengthened its collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission to prevent operators of blacklisted centers from re-entering the system.
“We have liaised with the CAC so that once you are a director of a failed CBT center, you cannot resurrect anywhere in the country. We now have access to directors’ details, including their NIN, to prevent abuse,” he said.
He also mentioned that staff and proctors previously implicated in malpractice had also been barred from participating in future examinations.
“All individuals involved have their NINs flagged. If they move elsewhere, they will destroy that center because we will not approve it,” Oloyede said.
The registrar further revealed that computers used in delisted centers had also been permanently barred from the JAMB system.
“Once a computer set is found belonging to a center we have delisted, it can never come back to our system, even if sold to another CBT center,” he said.
According to the JAMB registrar, the board had detected a few breaches and had invited security agencies to investigate, noting that such actions were not only infractions against the board but also violations of Nigerian law.
Speaking on accreditation requirements, Prof. Veronica Mejabi, Chief Technical Adviser to the Kwara State Accreditation Team, stated that CBT centers must meet both hard and soft criteria.
“The most important hard criterion is the implementation of a specified network topology to ensure quick troubleshooting during examinations,”she said.
She also stated that centers must include alternate power sources such as inverters and generators, while soft criteria include holding places for candidates, proper restroom facilities, and the installation of CCTV cameras for surveillance.
Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), the vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin and leader of one of the validation teams, also spoke and warned applicants against examination misconduct.
“If you cheat, you will be caught, and when you are caught, that is the end,” he told you.
