No fewer than 2.2 million candidates on Thursday commenced the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination across the country, marking one of Nigeria’s largest coordinated educational exercises.
The examination, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, is scheduled to run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple sessions across accredited Computer-Based Test centres nationwide.
Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, charged officials to demonstrate professionalism and commitment, noting that the success of the exercise largely depends on their diligence.
Oloyede, who spoke during a virtual final briefing for technical officers, commended staff, ad hoc personnel and service providers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock UTME.
He, however, attributed most of the challenges recorded during the mock examination to inadequate assessment of centres by some technical officials, urging improved oversight during the main exercise.
The registrar disclosed that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that demonstrate exceptional performance, particularly in the prompt handling of examination materials and timely submission of reports.
Reiterating the board’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice, Oloyede warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls, stressing that advanced technologies have been deployed to safeguard the credibility of the process.
According to him, biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems are being utilised to curb examination fraud, adding that candidates whose biometric details fail authentication would be rescheduled to sit the examination at designated centres.
Findings showed that about 966 CBT centres are participating in the exercise, each required to meet strict operational standards, including functional computer systems, stable internet connectivity and trained personnel.
To ease congestion and enhance efficiency, each examination day has been divided into four sessions.
Meanwhile, a monitoring visit to a CBT centre at Aduvie International School in Jahi indicated a slight delay, as the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. commenced at about 8:40 a.m.
The UTME remains a critical gateway for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, involving extensive logistics, technological deployment and coordination of personnel across the federation.
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