The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has suspended two Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for violating registration procedures in the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The centres suspended, according to a statement by JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin, are the Federal College of Education (Technical) Potiskum, Yobe State, and a CBT centre in Otukpo, Benue State.
According to the statement, the suspension will last for 14 days, from 4th to 17th February.
A JAMB CBT centre is a computer-based testing centre that is authorised by the Board to register and conduct the UTME and Direct Entry examinations for candidates who want to gain admission into various tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
JAMB’s spokesperson explained that the suspension follows a significant procedural breach that jeopardises the security measures implemented to prevent infractions and to ensure the integrity of the information provided to the board in case of any contestation.
He made known that CBT centres are required to ask candidates to manually input their details in a paper form before uploading them to the registration portal along with the form filled out by the candidates as evidence of their choices and information they have provided.
Despite being fully briefed on the implications, the board noted that some CBT centres disregard the guidelines. in order to increase the number of their submissions. The board therefore warned that any centre found guilty of such action, going forward, would face cancellation and would be barred from the board’s activities.
“This suspension serves as a stern warning to any centre considering similar actions. Any centre found uploading blank templates in the future will face cancellation and will be barred from participating in the board’s activities,” the statement reads in part.
The UTME registration for 2025, which commenced on 3 February, continues until 8 March.
Delays and technical glitches mar the registration process
The ongoing UTME registration exercise has been marred by delays caused by technical glitches at different CBT centres in Lagos.
Our reporters who visited the Mictec CBT centre in Ojota, Lagos observed hundreds of candidates waiting under a makeshift canopy, while others roamed the premises, unable to complete their registration.
Many candidates who had arrived as early as 8:30 a.m. were seen still waiting and grappling with slow data uploads and fingerprint issues as of 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
A candidate, Tella Ayomide, told DevReporting that she had arrived at the centre as early as 8:30 a.m. Expressing her disappointment, she said, “I came here with my mother, but she had to leave. I have been waiting since then, yet I haven’t seen the registration officer.”
Another candidate, Clement Blessing, who was visibly exhausted, admitted that she was considering giving up on the process.
The centre administrator, Awoniyi Roseline, who is also the Group Head for Mictec International Schools, decried the difficulties encountered during the registration process.
“We started the exercise on Monday, and it hasn’t been easy. We hope to begin registration on time, but we are faced with multiple challenges. Uploading data was slow, and the recommended fingerprint registration was problematic. Each candidate is required to upload 10 fingerprints, with a minimum of eight; that process has been difficult too,” she lamented.
Roseline noted that while JAMB might have introduced new security measures to ensure data protection, the slow pace was making it nearly impossible to meet the expected number of registered applicants before the deadline.
“If this continues, JAMB might have to extend the registration deadline because many candidates will not be able to register on time,” she warned.
While she acknowledged JAMB’s efforts to ensure the integrity of the registration process, she urged the board to intervene urgently.
Our reporter who visited some CBT centres at Ikorodu gathered that those centres also had initial technical glitches but were resolved by afternoon on Tuesday.
Also, on the first day of the exercise at the Perfect Angel CBT Centre in Abule Egba, many candidates were unable to complete their registration after waiting for hours.
The Centre Manager, Mr Olaoluwa Adefamoye, explained that the registration system only accepted iPhone scanners, which slowed down the process and reduced efficiency.
She lamented that despite having 10 system operators on-site to register candidates, technical challenges significantly hampered the process.
While acknowledging that the technical glitch was not unique to her centre, she appealed to JAMB to allow the registration system to accept scanners from other devices to improve efficiency and speed up the process.
Mock trial testing for candidates below age 16
JAMB has introduced a mock for trial testing as part of the 2025/2026 UTME exercise. This test is designed specifically for individuals who will not meet the age requirement of 16 years by 30th September or those who do not seek admission for the 2025 academic year but simply wish to gain CBT experience.
Such candidates, as stated in JAMB’s bulletin, can register for MOCK ONLY for trial testing.
It would be recalled that the issue of the minimum age for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions was discussed at the 2024 policy meeting, where it was decided that the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 academic session would be 16 years.
The Administrator of Mictec CBT Centre, Roseline, fully supported the board’s decision on age, stating that many young candidates lack the maturity to handle tertiary education.
“As a school administrator, I feel good about this decision. Many students are simply not mature enough to cope with university life, which is why we see many of them struggling or making poor choices when they get there. Parents should allow their children to grow at the right pace,” she advised.
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