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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
In a sting operation, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has apprehended operators of Computer Based Test (CBT) centres that are allegedly engaged in illicit registration of candidates for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The information which was contained in JAMB’s weekly bulletin released on Monday, indicated that the sting operations was conducted across four States, namely, Kwara, Kogi, Katsina and Enugu, by JAMB officials.
JAMB said the arrested operators had compromised the registration process for some unethical financial benefits through the deployment of unauthorised satellite registration points.
It confirmed that some staff of three of the four centres, who were apprehended while perpetrating the illegal act, had been handed over to security agents for prosecution, while the accreditation of the centres had been suspended.
JAMB had stated, on several occasions, that it would not condone any infringement of its registration flow by the technical officials of any of its accredited centres.
Its Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while monitoring the ongoing registration
exercise recently at the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre, reminded CBT centre administrators of the need to play
according to the rules so as not to jeopardize the opportunities and future of candidates.
Prof. Oloyede, who also visited other CBT centres in Ibadan metropolis alongside some members of the media, took time out to interact with some of the candidates on their experiences in the course of registering for the examination.
He confirmed that valuable insights were gained by the Board, especially with respect to the creation of profile code, payments, operation of the dual-screen mode to facilitate accurate capturing of candidates’ details, among others, all of which would be analysed to make for a more robust and user-friendly registration process.
Meanwhile, with 13 days to the end of registration window, JAMB said that 1, 121, 123, have successfully registered for the UTME and Direct Entry as at Saturday 12th March, 2022.
It, however, ruled out possible extension of registration window for the UTME and Direct Entry explaining that the time scheduled for the registration exercise, beginning from 19th February, to 26th March, 2022, is the only window allotted by relevant authorities to the Board to conduct the exercise.
JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, had earlier noted that it’s practically impossible for JAMB to contemplate any extension of registration as sister examination bodies such as WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, have their allotted time which the Board cannot usurped.
He further explained, “It should be noted that registration and examination dates are not fixed arbitrarily but through a consensus of opinions of the Federal Ministry of Education and examination agencies.
“Hence, before the commencement of registration or examination for any given year, all public examinations bodies are invited to a roundtable where they are expected to agree on the timetable of activities for each examination agency and which must be strictly adhered to.”
He urged prospective candidates who desire to register for the 2022/23 UTME/DE to do as quickly as possible as no extension would be granted after the close of registration.
