JAMB Directs Institutions to Disclose Illegally Admitted Candidates or Face Consequences
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has given institutions a one-month ultimatum to disclose details of all candidates they illegally admitted prior to 2017 or risk recognition and condonement. The directive was made by Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, during a briefing at the board’s headquarters in Abuja.
Benjamin explained that the move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions, falsification of records, and ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). He reminded institutions that JAMB had previously requested the disclosure of all illegitimate admissions offered to candidates outside CAPS between 2017 and 2020 due to abuse of window.
The board has observed that some institutions have continued to admit candidates outside CAPS and subsequently apply for the Condonement of Undisclosed Institutional Illegal Admissions (CUIIA) process. This has led to embarrassing situations where institutions backdate recent admissions to 2020 to fit within the time frame of CUIIA.
Consequently, the board is terminating the aspect of CUIIA process that allows completely unregistered candidates to be introduced to the system. Benjamin warned that only candidates who have registration but were illegally admitted between 2017 and 2020 will be denied the opportunity of the waiver unless they are disclosed within the next one month.
The period of disclosure begins from August 1. Benjamin emphasized that the board will not tolerate further undisclosed admissions by any institution and urged candidates to pursue education through legitimate and recognized means to avoid falling victims.
He also advised candidates seeking admissions to be cautious of illegitimate and unrecognized part-time programs, which will not be tolerated under "regularization or condonement." The board has distanced itself from trending and strange admissions practices by some institutions, including "daily part-time" and "Top-up" programs, which are not approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) or National Universities Commission (NUC).
Benjamin reiterated the board’s decision that only candidates who are at least 16 years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible for the 2024 admission cycle. This decision follows the directive from Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education and chairman of the 2024 tertiary admissions policy meeting, that the policy of 6-3-3-4 will be enforced from 2025.
Only those below 16 years will not and should not be admitted in accordance with the decision of the 2024 Policy meeting, Benjamin said.
