JAMB to shift 2021 UTME date By Kanayo Umeh, Abuja

At least 600,000 candidates who have indicated interest to participate in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are yet to register, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said. The problem may not be unconnected to the glitches being experienced by prospective candidates in their attempts to generate the required codes towards setting up profiles, using their unique National Identification Number (NIN).

Speaking during a virtual meeting with this year’s UTME Committee members, yesterday, JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the possibility of shifting the examination date, scheduled to hold between June 5 and 19, was very high.

Oloyede said so far, 1.1 million candidates have registered for the UTME, stating that the board anticipates approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.

The JAMB boss noted that even though 50 per cent of candidates have already registered without problem, there was need to carry everyone along, adding that after meeting with stakeholders, they would decide on whether to shift the date or not.

“The possibility of shifting the examination forward is still high, but that will be determine after our meeting with stakeholders. This is because about 6000 candidates who have indicated interest in the examination are yet to register. There is need to give everyone the opportunity,” he said.

While apologising for the new initiatives introduced in this year’s UTME, Oloyede explained that it was not meant to punish candidates, but to expose them in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.

The examination body, which is responsible for the conduct of the entrance examination into the country’s tertiary institutions, explained that candidates are expected to provide two photographs in the examination script, including those of who register for the examination and of persons who register for NIN.

While calling on candidates to take note of the process, Oloyede explained that the essence was to dictate any disparity in the process, adding: “We apologise for putting you through some hardship in the registration. The government directed that anyone participating in JAMB must have his/her NIN. This is beyond our control. Those who are yet to register should do so.

“The MOCK examination is billed to come up on Thursday. It is an examination meant to test out capability. As you all know, the main examination is coming up on June 5 and 19, this year.

“We are meeting with stakeholders today (yesterday) to discuss the issues and on whether we will shift the examination date or not. We will brief the media on the outcome of the meeting (today) tomorrow.

“Shifting the examination date is not the solution, at the meeting, we will discuss how some of the problems encountered by candidates would be resolved. It is important that we carry everyone along.”

He further disclosed that JAMB has secured about 802 examination centres across the country and 104 centres in towns, with Lagos State alone having four towns.

The NIN, which is a unique number that identifies individuals, is issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) upon enrollment.