UTME: JAMB scraps awaiting results registration

With effect from this year (2017), candidates awaiting results would no longer be eligible to apply for the Universities Tertiary Matriculation Examination, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, said in Abuja on Tuesday.
The organisation also said it had concluded all restructuring and reforms and is now set to commence the sale of its application document in March.
The restructuring exercise will now allow for only one choice of public university in which new registration platform will now be first choice, second choice, third choice and fourth choice and not most preferred, preferred choice.
A statement by the spokesperson of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the agency had taken time to add value to the services it have been offering to Nigerians for over three decades.
According to him, the restructuring was aimed at expanding the opportunities available to candidates since almost all the public universities do not consider candidates on the second choice list because they hardly exhaust their first choice. 
He said, “We have designed a Central Admissions Processing System where the Board will interface with the institutions and ensure the compliance of this reform. The summary is that no candidate will be admitted with awaiting result. Candidates and their parents are also to note that JAMB has restructured the registration platform to allow for only one choice of public university. The new registration platform will now be first choice, second choice, third choice and fourth choice and not most preferred, preferred etc as it was.
“Candidates’ first choice can be a College, University, Innovative Enterprises Institutions or Polytechnic/Monotechnic. However, if a candidate makes a Public University his first choice, he will not have any public University to choose for second, third and fourth choice. He will have on the remaining three choices, a College, Polytechnic, Private University and IEI’S. However, candidates for the 2017 UTME can now select National Certificate in Education (College) or National Diploma (Polytechnic/Monotechnic) as their first choice up to third choice and the fourth IEI. They can select the IEI (Innovative Enterprise Institution, ND) as their first choice up to the fourth choice, but can only pick a public university once.”

JAMB to hold UTME in May

The Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, says the 2017/2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination will hold in May.

Oloyede, who was speaking at the 2017 Nigerian Academy of Letters Annual Lecture on Thursday in Abuja, said there was a delay in the sales of the forms due to some logistics.

He said that the board had eliminated the use of scratch cards owing to the fact that many students were victims of extortion from cyber cafe attendants.

Oloyede said that the board was putting in place strategies that would ensure hitch-free conduct of the examinations.

He added that the board had consulted with relevant examination bodies to ensure there was no clash in any examination.

He said, “We have observed that people are selling fake forms but what we are doing is to try to sanitise the system and as soon as the sanitisation is done we will start selling the forms.

“In any case, JAMB has invited other examination bodies, there will be no clash but we want to hold the exams when it is appropriate.

“You also know that if we conduct the examination in March, the result will come out almost immediately but the result cannot be used until August or September.

“So, we have to keep the results and that will give room for people to be thinking it’s possible to upgrade.

“But, if we conduct our examination very close to when the result is needed the possibility or perceptions for upgrading will not be there.

“We need to reassure stakeholders that those selling fake forms are gone. We are not going to sell out forms through the other process.

“We will start the sale of the form and by May the examination will be conducted.”

He said that JAMB would use existing banks for the sales of this year’s UTME to prevent students from being extorted.

He said, “There is no offline registration, people extort students by collecting money from them but the worst is the mismatch of picture, data and biometrics.”

He said that some Nigerians involved in some of the shady deals had been arrested and some were being prosecuted.

Oloyede called on Nigerians to be patient as the forms would soon be out for candidates to purchase.

Boko Haram: Trump promises Buhari support

President Muhammadu Buhari and United States President Donald Trump yesterday discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

This is coming at a time Trump has invited Buhari to Washington DC, the US capital.

Disclosing this in a statement, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the conversation between Buhari and Trump was cordial.

According to him, President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States and the composition of his cabinet. In reply, the US President encouraged  Buhari to keep up the good work as well as commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok schoolgirls.

The statement read: “President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon (yesterday) from London spoke to President Donald Trump on telephone at the request of the American President.

“The conversation was cordial and President Buhari congratulated Trump on his election as President of the United States, and on his cabinet.

“The two leaders discussed ways to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism through provision of necessary equipment.

“President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military.

“President Trump assured the Nigerian President of US’ readiness to cut a new deal in helping Nigeria, in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism.

“President Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date.”