Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor for JAMB, revealed this directive at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, speaking on behalf of the board’s registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. The directive aims to enhance transparency and fairness in the admissions process.

“The board has noted that some institutions admit candidates outside the approved CAPS platform and process these through the condonement of illegal admissions window to legitimize them. To close this abused window, all institutions must disclose all candidates illegally admitted before 2017 within the next one month, starting from August 1, 2024. Any undisclosed admission from before 2017 will no longer be recognized or condoned after this period,” Benjamin stated.

He emphasized that institutions must comply with this directive as there will be no further condonement of unrecorded candidates who did not register with JAMB or sit for any entrance examination. This move aims to curb illegal admissions and falsification of records while ensuring compliance with CAPS provisions.

Benjamin highlighted that the decision marks the end of the condonement of illegal admissions, which previously allowed institutions to incorporate unauthorized admissions into the system. Concerns have arisen over institutions colluding with candidates to falsify details for illegal admissions, leading to fraudulent participation in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

“Despite warnings, some institutions continue to admit candidates outside CAPS and seek condonement of undisclosed illegal institutional admissions. Consequently, the board is terminating the aspect of the CUIIA process which allows completely unregistered candidates to be introduced to the system,” he added.

CAPS remains the only authorized platform for admissions. Institutions must disclose all candidates admitted illegally within their systems. Moving forward, the board will not tolerate any undisclosed admissions by any institution.

Regarding the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions for the 2024/2025 session, the board maintained that the minimum age remains 16 years. “For the 2024 admission cycle, candidates who will be at least 16 years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible,” Benjamin confirmed.

Benjamin also expressed concern over a new trend of strange admissions practices labeled “Daily-Part-Time” by certain polytechnics and “Top Up” by some universities. He cited a recent advertisement by Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, inviting candidates to apply for its two-year Daily-Part-Time programme, which he labeled as fraudulent.

“No such programmes are approved by the National Board for Technical Education or the National Universities Commission. They are fraudulent devices to sideline quality, approved quotas for full-time admission, falsify records, and rake in illegitimate income, thereby derailing the ambitions and careers of innocent (and some equally crooked) candidates,” Benjamin concluded.

In a statement posted on its official X account on Thursday, the Board dismissed reports that it had established cut-off marks of 140 for universities and 100 for polytechnics.

“There’s no such thing as ‘cut-off mark’ in the admission process to tertiary institutions in Nigeria. What’s obtainable is a minimum tolerable score determinable by individual institutions,” the statement read.

This denial follows widespread reports that JAMB had set specific cut-off marks for universities and polytechnics. The reports were allegedly based on a statement by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during the 2024 Policy Meeting of the Board held in Abuja.

The meeting, attended by the Minister of Education Tahir Mamman, vice-chancellors, rectors, registrars of higher institutions, and other stakeholders, was where the misinformation reportedly originated.

JAMB made this announcement on Monday via a post on its official X handle.

“Attention 2024 DE Candidates! This is to inform you that the Board has shelved the conduct of aptitude test for the year, other placement criteria shall be considered for your admission while adequate preparation goes into the exercise ahead of next year,” JAMB stated.

Prof. Oloyede emphasized that seeking regularisation is illegal and cautioned against admitting underaged students.

JAMB regularisation is a process to validate and formalise the admission of students who were admitted into tertiary institutions without proper documentation or through informal means.

This practice, according to Oloyede, has deprived many candidates of the opportunity to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday at the opening of the seventh biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria, themed ‘Effective University Governance: Role of Stakeholders,’ Oloyede called for an end to these practices to protect accountability, data integrity, and the nation’s educational system.

“I want to discuss what I call illegal admission. Many Vice-Chancellors don’t like the word, but the truth is that there is no need to regularise what is regular. Calling for regularisation after admission is illegal. Some candidates can’t go for NYSC because they were not properly admitted,” he stated.

He also highlighted issues with admitting underaged students and diploma candidates through illegal means.

Oloyede shared an example of a 15-year-old student from a European country who applied for a postgraduate program, questioning the possibility of such occurrences in Nigeria.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, had earlier indicated in April that the Federal Government was considering adopting 18 years as the minimum age for university and other tertiary institution admissions.

JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, made this known during a meeting with the leadership of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State Universities.

The details of the meeting were contained in a report published in the board’s bulletin.

According to the bulletin, Oloyede said: “Some ‘graduates’ had never entered the four walls of a university owing to the endemic corruption in the system but the board had documented over 3,000 of such cases.

“Illegal admission of candidates into tertiary institutions in the country is an embarrassment and a disservice to the nation.”

The issue of illegal admissions has been of interest and concern to JAMB over the years.

Recall that in December 2023, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education ordered JAMB to present a list of tertiary institutions that had conducted irregular and illegal admissions.

The examination body had earlier warned candidates to desist from accepting admissions offered by such institutions without full academic participation.

In a statement issued on Friday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed that 28,835 candidates who couldn’t provide biometric verification during the main 2024 UTME took part in the supplementary exam.

Additionally, candidates suspected of examination misconduct during the main UTME were given another chance to sit for the supplementary test.

“The exercise, which was a nationwide success, featured enhanced security measures to prevent examination malpractices. Several individuals attempting to impersonate genuine candidates were apprehended and handed over to law enforcement for further investigation and prosecution,” the statement read.

JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to preventing any candidate from benefiting from fraudulent activities by leveraging advanced technology throughout the examination process.

Candidates are advised against engaging in irregularities and are prohibited from soliciting score upgrades or tampering with result sheets.

To check their supplementary UTME results, candidates should text UTMERESULT to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number used during registration.

The meeting, which will be chaired by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, aims to set minimum cut-off marks and address key admission policies.

According to JAMB’s weekly bulletin released on Monday in Abuja, the meeting will bring together crucial stakeholders, including heads of regulatory bodies such as the National University Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Council for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and heads of tertiary institutions. Representatives from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will also be in attendance.

JAMB stated that the Registrar would present reports on the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the ongoing Direct Entry (DE) applications.

The meeting will include an analysis of key performance indicators to shape governmental policy directions in admissions.

The agenda will cover a review of the performance of candidates in the current year’s UTME to set the minimum admissible scores and address issues encountered during the previous year’s admission process.

Fabian Benjamin, the board’s spokesman, conveyed this information in a statement issued on Tuesday.

JAMB disclosed that the screening of over 64,000 withheld results is ongoing, with 531 additional results released so far, making the total number of released results 1,842,897.

The statement also highlighted that during the exercise, 92 cases of examination misconduct were identified, an increase from the initially reported 81 cases.

Additionally, the Board is addressing cases of unverified candidates and will soon announce its stance on the matter.

Recalling an earlier announcement by JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede on April 29, the release noted that out of the 1,904,189 candidates who sat for the examination, the results of 64,624 were withheld for further investigation.

Representing a staggering 78 per cent, the number of candidates failing to reach half of the possible marks highlights a widespread challenge among test-takers.

Breaking down the figures, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”

Concerning the revelation of top scorers, Oloyede emphasized the board’s stance on not disclosing individual performances.

He stressed the UTME’s purpose as a ranking examination and highlighted the complexities surrounding admission criteria across various institutions.

Additionally, Oloyede revealed that 64,624 results out of 1,904,189 are under scrutiny, awaiting investigation due to concerns over verification and alleged misconduct.

Addressing the examination’s global reach, Oloyede outlined JAMB’s efforts in conducting tests across nine foreign centers, aiming to showcase Nigerian institutions internationally while ensuring academic inclusivity.

As the scrutiny continues, JAMB remains committed to maintaining the integrity of the UTME and facilitating fair admission processes for aspiring tertiary education students.

The Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, highlighted the prevalence of corruption within the A’level results verification system.

Addressing the issue during a meeting with the National Association of Nigeria Colleges of Education Students, Oloyede expressed concern over the erosion of trust in educational certificates.

He emphasized the urgent need to uphold the integrity of A’level certificates to ensure the credibility of admissions processes.

Oloyede recounted the alarming discovery at Bayero University, Kano, where only a fraction of submitted certificates were found to be genuine out of a total of 148 Direct Entry applications.

This revelation prompted a collaborative effort among stakeholders to combat the fraudulent practices.

As part of the measures to tackle the issue, Oloyede proposed the establishment of an A’level result verification task force and the implementation of a common platform for swift and reliable certificate verification.

He stressed that adherence to verification procedures is now mandatory for admission, enforcing a “No verification, No admission” policy.

Furthermore, Oloyede announced modifications to the ongoing Direct Entry registration process, allowing candidates to register while institutions verify their credentials in the background.

However, institutions failing to comply with verification requests must pre-verify their certificate holders before completing the registration process.

In response, Eegunjobi Samuel, President of NANCES, commended JAMB’s efforts in restoring integrity to the examination and admission processes.

The association also presented challenges faced by members during the 2024 Direct Entry registration and advocated for additional registration centers to ease the process.