The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa, has lauded the conduct of the 2025-26 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), describing it as meeting international benchmarks of integrity, monitoring, and coordination.
Speaking after a comprehensive monitoring exercise across several Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers and the JAMB Control Room, the Minister expressed his satisfaction, noting, “The way JAMB is conducting its annual exam meets all international benchmarks. It is foolproof against cheating, and it is coordinated with the highest level of integrity. I am extremely impressed that we can achieve this level of excellence in Nigeria.”
The Minister further emphasized the strong commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to human capital development, highlighting improvements in education, health, social protection, and the enforcement of the rule of law across the nation.
The Honourable Minister announced that beginning November 2025, both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) will commence the use of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for objective sections of their examinations. By May/June 2026, both the objective and essay components of WAEC and NECO examinations will also be fully transitioned to CBT, a move he said will significantly curb examination malpractice and promote a culture of genuine study and merit among students.
Earlier, the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, while interacting with the press, confirmed that this year’s UTME has been one of the most successful in JAMB’s history. He clarified public concerns about candidates’ arrival times, emphasizing that the Board’s first examination session commences at 8:00 a.m., with candidates expected to arrive earlier for necessary pre-screening procedures involving up to 250 candidates per center.
Professor Oloyede also debunked allegations of students being posted to centers they did not choose, challenging anyone to present credible evidence. He revealed that over 40 impersonators had already been apprehended during the exercise. Professor Oloyede further noted that the Board would not reschedule missed examinations, comparing it to missing an international flight: “If you are going to the UK and you miss your flight, will you tell the plane to come back?”
As of today, over 1.6 million candidates out of 2,031,000 registered have successfully written their exams, and the Board is carefully verifying all results before releasing them to maintain the high standards now synonymous with JAMB’s operations.
With these monumental steps toward education reform, Nigeria is setting a new pace in examination management and quality assurance.
Signed
Boriowo Folasade
Director Press & PR
