The exam was earlier slated for 23rd April 2022 and is now fixed for 7th May 2022.

This was contained in a press statement released by the Head Information and Public Relations Division of NECO, Mr Azeez Sani in Minna, Niger State.

According to Sani,” the examination was rescheduled to give states with low registration of candidates the opportunity to register their candidates for the examination.

“All candidates, parents, guardians and relevant stakeholders are therefore enjoined to take note of the new date for the examination.

“The registration of candidates will continue till the new date of the examination,” the statement stated

It further said,”candidates, parents and guardians are advised to download the new Examination Time Table from the Council’s website: www.neco.gov.ng.”.

The body’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede stated this in a statement according to the board’s Director of Public Relations, Dr Fabian Benjamin.

The statement was titled, ‘JAMB: Over 80% of registration problems linked to candidates’ fault.’

The JAMB boss was quoted as saying that many of the candidates failed to follow simple instructions on the registration processes put in place by the board, adding that over 80 per cent of the challenges encountered were self-created by the candidates.

Recall that the board had earlier extended the registration timeline due to the complaints by members of the public which varied from issues relating to the National Identification Number.

But the statement quoted Oloyede as saying, “Many of them (candidates) were sending wrong things and commands for NIN, making NIMC unable to verify such numbers.

“The problems are self-created by the candidates, you are sending messages for a profile code and no credit of N50.”

Oloyede added that despite the extension, the number of registrants fell drastically until towards the closing date as only 1.38 million candidates procured the PIN for registration while 1.37 million completed their registration.

But there are still complaints of inability to register due to lateness or non-delivery of NIN verification code, mismatch or wrong names originally submitted to NIMC, among others, prompting JAMB to announce another to two weeks for individuals with genuine challenges to register for the exam.

However, the board has said it will allow candidates with genuine reasons to have an extension of the registration timeframe.

“The exercise is for people to come and defend their claim on the challenges (they have with registration), those who claimed not to have NIN or obtained NIN late,

While saying there could be individuals with genuine cases, the JAMB boss said the exam body would not allow anybody, particular fraudsters to outsmart its watertight system by making fictitious claims, saying such people would be detected and eventually screened out.

Some candidates were unable to generate profile codes due to poor network or delayed response from telecommunication service providers, hence the exam body arrived at this conclusion after consultations with stakeholders.

Meanwhile, JAMB, warned that the refund will not apply to wrong registrations, in the case of candidates who entered wrong codes while trying to generate their profiles.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this on Monday said service providers have also agreed to the refund decision.

Oloyede, who said the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Nigerian Communications Commission have been drafted in to monitor the refund, lamented that parents were being extorted by telecoms service providers.

“All those concerned will have to go back and ensure that when a service is not fully rendered and if there had been any charge that had been made this should be refunded to the candidates.

“We have reached this agreement with Digital Pulse that we will work with the service providers to make sure that the service providers refund where they have taken money from candidates,” he said.

The registrar also disclosed that by Friday, candidates will have the option of using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data to generate their profile code.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Spokesperson of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the delay was caused by some unforeseen circumstances occasioned by its determined effort to have a National Identify Number integration.

He said, “To be sure all processes are completed before the commencement, the Board didn’t place its advertorial as it was yet to complete the process of a smooth pin vending and candidate access to the registration app for the 2021 UTME/DE.

“The advertisement is the surest indication of the beginning of the exercise as it has all the step by step process that candidates are required to follow.

“However, this delay is caused by some unforeseen circumstances occasioned by our determined effort to have a NIN integration.

“This challenge is being resolved and once that is done, all processes shall commence.

“Candidates are therefore requested to exercise some patience. The process shall be up and running shortly for our advertisement to be rollout so that candidates can begin the creation of profile.”

The Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, made this known on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja, during a Stakeholders Meeting with the Nigeria Inter-religious Council (NIREC).

She said that having a database of all religious bodies in the state would enable ease of reference, as well as ensure effective communication.

“We need to know our number, then we can know what we need, we can know where we belong, we can know what we are doing.

“So, we are coming up with the registration forms and we need your cooperation as religious bodies that represent us at the local government level.

“We will ensure that we have it on a platform that will be automated, then you can do it anywhere, it is not compulsory that you come to Alausa for the registration,” the commissioner said.

She said that once the platform was ready, religious bodies would be trained on how to use it for registration and at no cost.

Akinbile-Yussuf explained that the purpose was to have easy access to Churches and Mosques in order for them to benefit from government programmes.

She said that the Ministry of Home Affairs would collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), to eradicate noise pollution emanating from places of worship.

The official noted that Lagos could only be a 21st Century economy if there was a good environment devoid of noise pollution.

“We want to charge NIREC officials to ensure that they promote good environment by addressing all complaints by communities over noise pollution,” she said.

JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede made the disclosure while receiving the Director of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi at the board headquarters in Abuja.

Disclosing that the introduction of the NIN to UTME was in line with the directive of the Federal Government that NIMC should be the primary data collection centre, Oloyede stated that the move would guard against all forms of registration infractions.

The registrar said the board has concluded arrangements with the NIMC to use NIN number as a pilot for 2020 UTME.

In a statement by the agency’s Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Oloyede said the board would use both the NIN number and its Computer Based Test Centres for the 2020 UTME registration.

He said: “In view of the compliance with the Federal Government’s directive that the NIMC should be the primary data collection centre, the board will be using the NIM number of prospective candidates for registration in the next exercise.

“The board is at the moment discussing with the NIMC to work out the grey areas for seamless implementation in the next exercise.”

Source: Dailypost