The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it plans to accredit a total of 1,039 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for the conduct of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This disclosure was made by the board's Registrar, Prof. Is'haq Oloyede, during a five-day accreditation tour in Ilorin on Wednesday, 17 December 2025.
Nationwide Re-accreditation Exercise Underway
Prof. Oloyede explained that the board has deployed 52 examination teams across Nigeria to inspect and re-accredit potential centres. He emphasized that this annual exercise is critical, noting that meeting standards in a previous year does not guarantee qualification for the current cycle. "The fact that you qualified last year could not make you qualify this year," the Registrar stated.
He described the ongoing process as "so far so good," but raised alarms about attempts by some centres previously delisted for malpractice to re-enter the system. "Some centres that were implicated in examination malpractice last year, not in Kwara state, though, have repackaged themselves this year, moving from one centre to another one," Oloyede revealed.
Stringent Measures to Block Malpractice Perpetrators
To combat this, JAMB has instituted robust cross-checks with other government agencies. The Registrar detailed a key partnership with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). "CAC has graciously granted us access to see the directors of implicated centres with their NIN, so that it will vitiate any other board you belong," he said.
The crackdown extends to individuals and even equipment. Oloyede announced that proctors or staff implicated in malpractice are now flagged using their National Identification Number (NIN), preventing them from working at any other accredited centre. Furthermore, computer sets from delisted centres are permanently banned from the JAMB system to prevent their resale and reuse.
"We've seen two of such lapses and we'll investigate how they did that and take appropriate action. We've invited security agencies to pick one or two of such persons and investigate them because what they've done is not only an infraction against JAMB but an infraction against the laws of the federation," he explained sternly.
Hard and Soft Criteria for Centre Accreditation
Speaking on the accreditation standards, Prof. Veronica Mejabi, JAMB's Chief Technical Advisor for Kwara State, outlined the mandatory criteria for centres. She categorized them into hard and soft requirements.
The hard criteria include:
- A specified network topology for easy troubleshooting during exams.
- Provision of an inverter backup.
- Availability of a functional electricity generator for power failures.
The soft criteria focus on candidate welfare and monitoring:
- A dedicated holding area for candidates awaiting their exam.
- Adequate toilet facilities inside and outside the exam hall.
- Installation of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras for real-time monitoring.
Vice Chancellor Warns Against Exam Fraud
Also present during the tour was Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, who led one of the validation teams. He issued a strong warning to prospective candidates, urging them to shun any form of examination malpractice. "If you cheat, you'll be caught and when you are caught, that's the end," Prof. Egbewole cautioned.
The comprehensive measures announced by JAMB signal the board's intensified commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the UTME, a critical gateway for tertiary education admission in Nigeria.
