The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says no fewer than 2.2 million candidates are participating in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which began nationwide on Thursday.
The examination will run from April 16 to April 22 across accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Nigeria.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to uphold professionalism and strict adherence to operational standards, stressing that the credibility of the exercise depends largely on their conduct. He gave the charge during a virtual briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination.
He commended staff and service providers for their performance during the mock examination exercise but noted that most of the challenges recorded were linked to inadequate assessment of accredited centres.
Oloyede said the board would introduce incentive packages for teams that demonstrate exceptional performance, particularly in the prompt handling of examination materials and timely submission of reports.
He reaffirmed JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice, warning candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
According to him, biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to strengthen the integrity of the examination process.
He added that candidates whose biometric data could not be verified would be rescheduled to sit the examination at designated centres.
The UTME, one of Nigeria’s largest annual examinations, involves extensive logistics and thousands of personnel nationwide. Each day’s exercise is conducted in four sessions to reduce congestion and improve verification processes at CBT centres.
JAMB disclosed that about 966 centres are participating in this year’s exercise, all required to meet strict operational standards, including functional computer systems, stable internet connectivity, and trained personnel.
Rooted Scope Media correspondent who monitored proceedings at a CBT centre in Jahi, Abuja, reported that the first session, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., began at about 8:40 a.m.
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