The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has announced that 445,081 candidates have registered for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). He made this announcement while monitoring the registration process in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, on Monday. Oloyede stated that JAMB’s target for this year is 1.8 million candidates, emphasizing that there will be no extension for the registration period. He also mentioned plans to establish a multi-million naira zonal office in Kwara, which has already been included in the budget.
Oloyede noted, “We do not expect any extension. As of Sunday, 445,081 people have registered out of the 1.8 million candidates that we are expecting. We have gone halfway, but you know some of our people will come at the last hour. However, there is no room for an extension because we have made provisions for the registration of 100,000 candidates per day, and we are currently processing 60,000 daily. The candidates are the ones not turning up well enough.” He added that interest in the mock examination is high, with about 144,000 candidates indicating their desire to participate. He stated that once the number of candidates reaches a quarter of the total expected, the mock examination will be closed to further registrations.
During the monitoring exercise, Oloyede expressed concerns about one registration center that had only purchased a single camera to capture candidates’ images, which could lead to errors in matching pictures with names. He announced that this center would be suspended from registration and examination activities until proper measures are implemented. Overall, he reported that the registration process has been largely successful, with no instances of extortion, which he finds encouraging as it helps build candidates’ confidence in the system.
Oloyede emphasized that JAMB does not have any sacred cows and will take action against any center that crosses the line. He highlighted that the registration fee has been raised from N700 to N1,000 due to rising diesel prices, and JAMB collects this fee on behalf of the centers, which amounts to approximately N100 million. He reassured that while JAMB aims to make the business profitable for Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers, it will not permit them to exploit candidates. The inspections are intended to ensure compliance with registration rules and to reinforce the message that there is no need to cut corners in the process.
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