Tension between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and CBT centre operators surfaced on the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination as technical disruptions at several centres prompted both sides to point fingers at each other over responsibility for the failures.
The examination, which commenced on Thursday, April 16, is being conducted across 966 CBT centres nationwide, with 2.2 million candidates expected to sit the exercise before it concludes on Wednesday, April 22.
At Skillpath International Academy in Karu, Abuja, where 4,000 candidates are registered, several complaints emerged over malfunctioning desktops, mice, and keyboards. Though the first session was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., candidates did not receive their questions until approximately 8:45 a.m., a delay of 15 minutes.
A CBT technician identified as Nonso blamed JAMB for the setback, warning that such delays affect candidate performance.
“They delayed for about an hour because of the uploading of questions. This can make candidates forget what they read,” he stated. “The candidates are supposed to just walk in, log onto their system and write their exams. The delay contributes to poor performance.”
JAMB General Monitor Group Representative, Nnenna Akajemeli, rejected that position, insisting the centre failed to ensure all systems were operational before the examination began and warned that such lapses could attract sanctions.
“Some systems have glitches while others are working. As a result of the escalation, they’ve been asked to reschedule the whole process. So, they will redo it for this batch because it will now jeopardise the success of their exam,” she explained.
Akajemeli also questioned how the centre received JAMB accreditation without a backup system in place, directing her remarks at centre owner Alphonsus Ekpenyong. Ekpenyong pushed back, insisting his centre had no such deficiencies and had operated without disruption in previous years.
In the 2025 UTME, technical glitches affected 157 of 887 CBT centres, compelling the board to order a resit for 379,997 candidates.
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