The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board will not negotiate with individuals accused of examination fraud who have left the country to avoid prosecution, as matters involving criminal conduct remain the exclusive responsibility of security agencies, the board’s Registrar has declared.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede made this position clear while speaking to journalists at the University of Ibadan during a training programme that marked the final phase of JAMB’s 10 year automation project.
His statement came against the backdrop of ongoing criticism of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration exercise, including remarks attributed to Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, who had raised concerns about difficulties some candidates were experiencing during registration.
Prof. Oloyede said he holds Obi in high regard personally but emphasised that public commentary on sensitive institutional matters should not weaken established accountability structures or undermine procedural integrity.
He revealed that certain individuals allegedly involved in large scale registration infractions and other forms of examination malpractice had fled Nigeria and were now attempting to initiate dialogue as a way to avoid prosecution.
Prof. Oloyede made it clear that the board would not entertain any arrangement that could compromise the integrity of the examination system or harm the futures of candidates who had been affected by fraudulent activities.
On a separate note, Prof. Oloyede announced that JAMB had completed its decade long automation drive, signalling that Nigeria’s central admission examination system has now transitioned fully into the digital age.
Speaking during the training session for question developers, he described the event as the tenth and final phase of reforms launched nearly a decade ago. The latest phase centres on automating the question authoring process for the UTME, removing the need for physical meetings among examiners.
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, who spoke at the event, said the automation would enhance quality assurance in the admission process. The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics, Prof. Mahfuz Adedimeji, also described the training as a significant milestone in the complete digitisation of JAMB’s operations.
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