• Reports reveal how JAMB sensitised prospective candidates on UTME/DE registration

By Gabriel Dike

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently carried out a one-day nationwide sensitisation campaign aimed at prospective candidates 2026 for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Direct Entry (DE). It was part of activities marking the JAMB-SERVICOM Customer Service Week.

The event featured visitations to selected secondary schools and public places to guide candidates against avoidable mistakes that could jeopardise their admission dreams. At Government Science Technical College, Bwari, Abuja, JAMB Nodal Officer, Mrs. Elisabatu Jekada, urged candidates to ensure that they do not commit certain mistakes their predecessors regrettably fell into.

She underscored the need for the candidates to be sure that their details – names (particularly, names arrangement), date of birth, state and local government of origin to be used for UTME/DE registration are the same with what is obtainable on their other credentials: “The board frowns at discrepancies in candidates’ biodata.

“The first step in UTME registration is profile creation. Candidates must first pay a visit to the office of the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) to enrol for their National Identification Number (NIN).

“While doing that, you must ensure that your details supplied to the commission tally with those on your West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) result. The board does not directly collect candidates’ biodata, they are pulled from the NIMC database.

“Whatever details were supplied to the commission by candidates are what will be pulled by the board for your registration. As such, you would do well to effect all necessary corrections with the commission before registering for the UTME/DE. Once you register with the wrong details, you cannot correct them thereafter.”

Other locations visited by the team included: Bwari Market, Bwari Motor Park, Government Day Secondary School and Bwari, Kuduru Community. At the Kubwa/Dutse Alhaji Area, Mr. Clement Adetayo Ojo, Public Affairs and Protocol, JAMB, took the participants at the Government Secondary School, Kubwa, Adeola International College, Kubwa, Metro International School, Kubwa and the Army Scheme Market, Dutse Alhaji, through the procedures to be followed for a successful registration.

He said: “Candidates must obtain two important items individual SIM card and personal email address. These are each candidate’s unique identifiers with the board. Those not up to 18 years old should take advantage of the mobile telecommunication companies’ ‘Keep My Number’ feature to obtain their personal mobile number rather than relying on third-party SIM cards (uncles, neighbours, parents, etc.) that can prove difficult to access or retrieve if lost or damaged.

“None of these identifiers is replaceable once used for registration. As such, they must be guarded jealously as they might be needed for future transactions with the board by candidates.

“Once you have obtained your personal phone number, email address and NIN, you should send an SMS – NIN (in capital letter), followed by your 11-digit NIN to either of the board’s sort codes 55019 or 66019. e.g. NIN 00000011111 to 55019 or 66019 to generate your profile code. Once a profile code is generated, your biodata will be automatically retrieved from the NIMC platform. Please note that profile code does not change once created.

“As soon as that is achieved, you will need to proceed to the nearest JAMB office or any JAMB approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre to start your registration. At the centre, you will be requested to vend an e-PIN to be purchased from authorised channels – approved commercial banks or accredited online financial vendors at the registration centres.

“A relevant registration template will be given to you, make sure that you fill it appropriately. Also, you should do well to cross-check every detail and ensure that they are all accurate before final submission, because once the application is submitted, it cannot be retrieved for corrections.”

JAMB SERVICOM Team Lead, Mrs. Florence Makinde, warned candidates: “Do not allow any CBT centre to register you forcefully. Once you have difficulty registering as a result of biometrics, stop and visit the nearest JAMB office to complete your registration. Also ensure that a dual screen is used during registration, and confirm that your passport and biometrics are captured correctly.”

Miss. Fatima Ozi Salami also of the JAMB SERVICOM Unit, said: “After sending the command to the sort code (profile code generation) and the response reads ‘RECORD NOT FOUND’, candidates should visit the nearest NIMC office to validate their NIN. If what is received is, ‘WRONG PARAMETER’, it means that the command has been sent incorrectly. As a consequence, candidates are to resend the correct command, i.e. NIN 0000001111, to 55019/66019.

“If the response received is ‘YOUR NIN (0000001111) has already been registered with GSM number (070———)’, this indicates that the retrieved to obtain a profile code. If the response is ‘UNABLE TO VERIFY YOUR NIN AT THE MOMENT. (NIMC: UNKNOWN)’, the affected candidates are advised to please wait and retry later.”

In Anambra State, the SERVICOM train visited the Community Secondary School, Amawbia; Girls’ College, Amenyi, Awka; St. John of God Secondary School, Awka, and Community Secondary School, Umuokpu. The team was led by Mrs. Olendi Chidinma, Head of SERVICOM.

State Coordinator, Dr. Mrs. Dinah Ifunanya Obiano, said: “The board is committed to improved service delivery with sincerity of purpose, honesty and turning challenges to opportunities. Every mission is possible.”

In a related development, the Ogun State Coordinator, Mr. Hakeem AbdulHameed, during a virtual meeting with CBT centre administrators: “Strict adherence to advisories on the 2026 UTME registration exercise is non-negotiable. Failure to adhere to them can jeopardise candidates’ career prospects.

“Take only authorised charges and make data correction for candidates before registration, stop telling them it can be corrected afterwards. Candidates need to visit the JAMB Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS) to get the list of correct subject-combination for their preferred courses.”

In Benue State, some of the selected schools visited are: FT Dynasty International College, Otlac Graceland International College, Tes B Academy and Icon Model School, Makurdi.

In Taraba State, JAMB-SERVICOM office took its advocacy to key stakeholders’ within Jalingo metropolis, sharing flyers and discussing the requirements for a successful UTME registration with the aim of reducing errors to the barest minimum in the upcoming exercise. The team engaged accredited CBT centres to address recurring registration-related mistakes commonly traced to privately-owned centres.

It also met with other stakeholders at public motor parks in the Jalingo metropolis to promote accurate information dissemination and encourage early preparation. Other places visited included: Government College, Jalingo, Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo; Centre for Excellence Secondary School, Jalingo; Winners Comprehensive Secondary School, Jalingo; Digal Enterprise, Jalingo; STENA IT Academy, Jalingo and A.J. Owoninyi Motor Park, Jalingo; etc.

In Akwa Ibom State, the delegation led by Mrs. Chizoba Onyeneke, Head of SERVICOM, Uyo Office, took the sensitization to Bright Star Model Secondary School, Itiam Etoi; Modern Secondary Commercial School, Aka Road; Community Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Oku Ubo; Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Four Towns, Abak Road; Offot Ukwa Secondary School; and Heritage Digital-Link Int’l Ltd., CBT Centre, Uyo.

Students were enjoined to always adhere to registration guidelines in order to avoid actions that could lead to “had I known.” In their various responses, the principals of the various schools and CBT Centres visited, expressed warm appreciation to the Board for the initiative.

In Oyo State, the SERVICOM Unit from the Ibadan Zonal Office visited Ikolaba Grammar School, Agodi as well as Ikolaba High School, Ikolaba, Ibadan, to enliighten senior secondary school 11 and 111 students as well as their teachers on the dos and don’ts of the 2026 UTME registration by taking them through the nitty-gritty of the UTME/DE registration while, at the same time, sharing insights into the demands of CBT examination.

The sensitisation team also visited Best Brain College CBT Centre, Ibadan. They proceeded to OBMS Cambridge A’Level College/ICT Centre, Ibadan. The team engaged the CBT centres on the ethics of the UTME registration exercise, the preparation for 2026 UTME registration and the need to uphold the values of professionalism, integrity and transparency.

In Imo State, the sensitization programme targeting secondary schools in Owerri and its environs carried out by the SERVICOM Unit of the Owerri Zonal Office as part of its Customer Service Week.

Under the leadership of the Owerri Zonal acting Director, Mrs. Iheme Jema Chinedozie, JAMB officials visited some secondary schools in Owerri. The schools visited included: Holy Ghost College Owerri; Comprehensive Secondary School, Obinze; Owerri Girls Secondary School and Christ Foundation Secondary, School, Owerri.

At Government Secondary School, Owerri, Head of SERVICOM, Mrs. Blessing Effiong, urged students, especially those in SS11 and SS111, to take full advantage of the board’s digital platforms to avoid falling victim to fraudsters who promise special centres or assistance during the UTME:

“JAMB does not tolerate examination malpractice in any form. Our CCTV system monitors centres, biometric verification, and revalidation processes and this has made irregularities almost impossible.”

Zonal Office PRO, Mr. Idogen Joseph Idogen, spoke on the perils of wrong choice of institutions and courses as well as accepting admission JAMB Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and patronage of unapproved CBT centres and Internet fraudsters. He talked about the board’s provisions for people with special needs through the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), which allows candidates with special needs to register and sit the examination with appropriate accommodations.

Principal, Holy Ghost College, Owerri, said: “Many students and even teachers were previously misinformed about the UTME registration process. The visit had cleared several misconceptions.”

Mercy Ujunwa Chijioke, SS111 student, Owerri Girls Secondary School, said: “We used to hear different stories about JAMB from social media.

Now we know the correct steps to follow from the horse’s mouth.”