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Tag: Fabian Benjamin

  • Why we’ve not released UTME results, by JAMB

    The results of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be released as soon as reports from the 687 Computer Based Test centres used for the conduct of the examination are reviewed, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has said.

    The board said the review of reports from these centres will be concluded on Monday or Tuesday.

    JAMB spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said this in an interview with our reporter on Monday in Abuja.

    He attributed the delay in releasing the results to fraudulent practices of some candidates who sat for the examination.

    Read Also: JAMB conducts UTME for 200 foreign candidates

    The 2019 UTME was conducted on April 11 – 17.

    According to him, some candidates have abused some of the innovations introduced by the boarding, leaving it to properly screen the UTME results to ensure that the board does not release the results of a compromised examination.

    He said: “We are comparing reports from the field and as soon as we finish either today or tomorrow, we will commence the process of releasing the results.

    “We are collecting reports from 687 centres. The results will be released as soon as we finish what we are doing.”

    Benjamin also said the board will investigate all issues of biometric failure during the conduct of the examination.

    There were reports of biometric verification challenge in some centres during the examination.

    He said the board would look into it as soon as it finishes releasing the UTME results to ensure that candidates with genuine biometric issues are not made to suffer.

    According to him, if a candidate could be captured during registration there is nothing stopping the fingerprints of such candidate from being captured during the examination.

    “As soon as we finish releasing results we will look into it and if there is any candidate with genuine reason we will see what we can do.

    “We will investigate all issues of biometric verification. If we find the cases to be genuine, we will do the needful,” he said.

  • Why we are yet to release UTME results, by JAMB

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Wednesday explained why it had not released the results of the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

    The board said it discovered that some candidates who wrote the examination engaged in massive fraud and impersonation, putting their results in doubt.

    JAMB’s Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, stated this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He said the board has started screening the results of all the candidates who wrote the examination and would release them as soon as it finished the exercise.

    Benjamin said: “We will not release the results in a hurry. We will do a lot of crosschecking and matchmaking to be sure that nobody that was engaged in illicit act go scot free.

    Read Also: Candidates urge JAMB to upgrade computers for calculations

    “We will release the results as soon as we finish checking the results to ensure that all those ones that we caught in various illicit registration acts are properly dealt with and those that we could not arrest are withheld.

    “We will release the results when we finish doing our screening. We are screening the whole results.

    “We don’t have the numbers now but we won’t release any result until we are sure of the whole thing.”

    He said the board has so far arrested over 100 persons for impersonation and other fraudulent practices during the examination.

    According to him, the board would fish out anyone who was involved in sharp practices during the examination through their results and withhold them.

    The JAMB spokesperson said: “We are picking them across the nation. As at today, we have picked up over a hundred candidates and we are still picking.

    “Though we may not be able to pick all of them because of logistics problem and the state but what we are doing now for those we could not  pick who may have written the exam and gone, we are fishing them out true their result.”

    Benjamin also said the board was investigating cases of biometric verification failure in some states.

    He assured that the board would do the needful once it finished its investigation and found the reported cases to be genuine.

    “We will not be able to say genuine now until we do our due diligence. We are investigating because I told you that we have cases of illicit registration and we discovered that some of them created some scene when they discovered that their time for the exams clashed and they could not write the exam.

    “We are giving everybody the benefit of doubt. We will look at all the perimeters and ensure that no one whose case is actually genuine suffers injustice.

    “When we finish our exams we will be able to look at the whole thing (biometric issues),” he added.

  • JAMB gives update on 2019 UTME exams process, results

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it would ensure a smooth and successful conduct of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    Dr Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Head of Media and Publicity, disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Bwari.

    He said that as of April 13, over 1.2 million have successfully written the examination scheduled to end April 17.

    NAN reports that over 1.8 million candidates are expected to sit for the board’s UTME that commenced nationwide on April 11.

    Benjamin said the process of the examination has so far been successful, adding that the board was addressing some of the challenges that came up during the exercise.

    He also said that the board was still investigating those who were unable to be verified through its biometric process and would come out with a stand on the matter.

    Speaking also on the issue of results, Benjamin said that no results have been released yet.

    He explained that the board was still screening the results as the examination was ongoing and also because more fraudulent activities were being identified in the process.

    Read Also: Candidates urge JAMB to upgrade computers for calculations

    He said: “We have to keep screening these results because there are lots of issues we discovered like multiple registrations, impersonation and the likes, so we are still fishing them out.

    “Some have been arrested and those yet to be arrested, we have their records, we will fish then out. However, candidates should expect their results very soon.”

    He added that the board’s suspension of some Computer Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide has not affected the candidates.

    Benjamin explained that adequate examination centres was provided to all who registered for the examination.

    The board in its weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar for April 15 said that it uncovered and arrested ‘Professional Examination Writers’ who writes examination for candidates for a fee.

    According to the bulletin, 50 of such fraudulent persons were apprehended in centres across the country as a result of various intelligence gathering.

    The bulletin also said that the board suspended 49 CBT centres from participating in the ongoing exercise.

    The suspended centres which are spread across the country were suspended for failing to live up to expectations in ensuring a seamless examination.

    30 of the exam centres were suspended during the start of the exam on April 11, while the other 19 were blacklisted during the registration’s exercise; 10 of the centres are located in the FCT.

    NAN

  • UTME: 50 arrested for impersonation

    Fifty professional examination writers who sit for candidates in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have been arrested, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has revealed.

    The board said the impostors were arrested nationwide following its intelligence gathering mechanism.

    JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in the agency’s weekly bulletin.

    Benjamin identified some of the professional examination writers as Master’s degree holders, postgraduate and undergraduate students of various tertiary institutions in the country.

    He said the professional writers connived with owners and operators of its Computer Based Test Centres (CBT) to carry out the crime by engaging in multiple registrations where the fingerprints of the main candidates are captured side by side with that of the impostors.

    “The board has uncovered a group of professional examination writers who take the exams for prospective candidates for a fee.

    “As a result of intelligence gathering, over 50 of such writers have been arrested across the country.

    “The modus operandi of these UTME syndicates was confirmed when one of the kingpins was apprehended recently,” the bulletin said.

    Read Also: Computer rejects UTME candidates in Anambra

    He said the culprit confessed to have done multiple registrations of his biometric along with several other candidates with the intention of sitting for them and collecting huge sums of money from the candidates.

    “This Development is the fundamental reason for the decision of the board to revalidate all biometrics of candidates that have taken the board’s examination in recent times.

    “This timely action would enable the board to not only fish out and dismantle these registration cartels and racketeers but also bring them to book along with their collaborators,” the bulletin said.

    Also, Fabian said 1, 236, 316 candidates out of the 1.8 million registered has so far taken the examination.

    “A total of 1,886,238 UTME candidates are expected to sit nationwide. And, 1,236,316 candidates have so far taken their examination,” it added.

  • Breaking: JAMB releases results of 2019 Mock UTME

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of its 2019 Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted on April 1.

    JAMB’s Head, Media and Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

    According to him, a total of 157,631 candidates sat for the examination in 698 centres across the country.

    Read Also: JAMB: we have de-registered 14 CBT centres

    “We have just released the results of the mock examination taken on Mon., April 1, nationwide.

    “Candidates should only use the outcome of the results to prepare harder for the main UTME, scheduled to commence on April 11.

    “They should also note that the results are not for the purpose of admission or matriculation consideration.

    “Candidates are now free to visit our website for their results, using their registration numbers,” Benjamin said.

    According to him, the printing of candidates’ examination slips ahead of the main UTME, which was earlier scheduled for Tue., April 2,  has now been moved to Thur., April 4.

     

  • 2019 UTME: JAMB reschedules printing of exam slips to April 4

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rescheduled printing of the 2019/20 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) slips to Thursday, April 4.

    JAMB’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dr Fabian Benjamin disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.

    NAN reports that the printing of the examination slips was initially scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 2.

    Benjamin said the shift in date came after 14 Computer Based Tests (CBT) centres were on Monday, suspended due to infractions during the board’s conduct of Mock UTME, including an incident where JAMB staff were attacked at one of its centres.

    “The suspension has caused some distortion in the initial arrangement and the board will have to relocate candidates who were scheduled to write in the affected centres to other suitable centres.

    “We all know that one of the essence of the mock exercise was to check the level of preparedness of not only candidates but also centres that keep to the rules and regulations of the board.

    “It is to check on centres that are desperate to cheat and to make sure that they do not achieve their aim.

    “Immediately after the exercise yesterday, we went into a meeting and examined the conduct of the exercise, identified the structural problems and made adjustments immediately.

    “We want to ensure no centre fails during the conduct of the exercise.

    “So we need today and tomorrow to redistribute the candidates affected by these suspended centres who had planned to extort them, defraud and frustrate the system, to centres that are more suitable, then printing can begin Thursday. ”

    He added that the board was putting all hands on deck to ensure that candidates sat for the examination in centres where they were safe, suitable and conducive for the exercise that would be globally accepted.

    He apologised to all candidates of the examination for the inconvenience caused, adding that the board’s intention remained to give its best, and ensure a hitch-free and successful exercise.

    NAN recalls that Prof. Ishaq Oloyede on Monday said that the board had de-listed 14 CBT centres out of the 712 accredited due to infractions like technical hitch and deceit.

    He also said that two staff of the board were attacked at Lagos state Polytechnic centre and were almost murdered but were rescued.
    Oloyede said the 698 centres left in the operations were ready for the conduct of the UTME scheduled to hold between April 11 and April 15.

  • 157,631 candidates for mock UTME

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says candidates who have yet to receive notification for its Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) might not have indicated interest at the point of registration

    The Head, Media and Information of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

    NAN reports that, of about 1.9 million candidates who registered for the 2019 Computer Based Test (CBT), a total of 157,631 indicated interest for the mock as at the close of UTME registration on Feb. 21.

    “We have concluded plans for the conduct of this Mock UTME scheduled to hold on April 1.

    “Some candidates have been saying they are yet to receive and print their notification slips for this examination. I think that has nothing to do with the board because all those who indicated interest to participate have all been notified.

    “Again, some of them might have registered late. However, the examination is optional, and I do not think there is any cause to worry,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that printing of notification slip of the main UTME will begin on April 2, while the examination will start from April 11.

    Some parents in Lagos State have been worried that their children, who claimed they indicated interest in the mock UTME, have yet to be notified by JAMB.

    One of the concerned parents, Mrs. Florence Ibem, said it was worrisome that 10 days to the mock examination, her child had yet to be notified.

    She appealed to JAMB to notify the affected candidates to enable them to participate in it and be satisfied.

  • UTME: JAMB suspends CBT centres

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB ), has suspended the University of Benin ICT Computer Based Test (CBT) centre and eight others from partaking in this year’s unified tertiary matriculation examination registration.

    The board stated that the centres were suspended for breaching the code governing the 2019 registration exercise.

    JAMB disclosed these in its weekly news bulletin obtained by The Nation on Monday in Abuja.

    JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, also said the board was monitoring the activities of 10 more centres in Lagos and Plateau states, noting that appropriate action would be taken against them once investigation is concluded.

    The suspended centres include Mardakem Company Ltd., Methodist Boys High School, College Road, beside Maritime Academy, Oron, Akwa-Ibom state; Bintels Global Services LTD. (Centre for Computer Education), Fr. Joseph Memorial High Sch. Aguleri, Anambra State; Noble & Shuaib ICT Ltd, Girls Secondary School, Alor, Anambra State; and Global ICT Connect Ltd, Km 5, Gboko Rd, Opp College of Health Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi.

    Others are: DA Civic Centre, 79 Airport Road by Benoni Junction, Benin city, Edo State; University Of Benin International ICT Centre, Iyayi Computer Building, Benin City, Edo State; Medes ICT Centre, Govt. Technical College, Idepe, Okitipupa, Ondo State; Divine Success All CBT Centre, Km1, Along IseyinIbadan Express Way Iseyin, Oyo State; and Riyom ICT Centre, former Riyom Local Govt Secretariat, Riyom, Plateau State.

    According to him, the board, during a meeting with CBT operators in Lagos, had spelt out the cost for each service for the UTME, from the cost of obtaining the e-pins as reduced by the Federal Government to the cost of the reading texts and charges for registering candidates.

    He explained that before commencing the 2019 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) registration, the guidelines on the exercise was deliberated and laid out for all CBT operators to adhere to strictly.

    The JAMB spokesperson said: “Earlier, the Board reiterated the directive of the Federal Government for the 2019 e-pins to be sold at N3, 500 excluding the cost of the reading text, to ensure absolute compliance. The meeting had also resolved that the cost of registration should not exceed N700.

    “Candidates were also to be guided properly on the processes, if for any reasons such assistance is required, without collecting any dime from them.
    Unfortunately, findings from the Board’s monitoring exercise revealed that some centres were charging higher than the stipulated figure directed by the Federal Government and equally agreed on at the Lagos meeting for other charges.

    Read Also: JAMB registers over 300,000 candidates in one week

    “The Board finds this very disappointing and has therefore suspended such centres caught in this unholy act from the 2019 exercise.

    “The Board is monitoring closely and about 10 centres are under investigation in Lagos and Plateau. Management would meet on Monday 28th January 2019 to take appropriate action on these centres.

    “The Board will continue to monitor the on-going exercise, to ensure that Nigerians are not misled by unpatriotic operators. JAMB monitoring teams are spread all over the nation and whoever is caught, would be punished in accordance with the precedence being laid now.

    “All centre operators and selling outlets are advised to adhere to the Federal Government’s price of e-pins, cost of registration and not to sell any of the documents meant to be issued to candidates free.

    “As a regulator, the Board would continue to protect the candidates to ensure that they are not misled, cheated or frustrated in their quest to acquire tertiary education.”

  • JAMB registers over 300,000 candidates in one week

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB ) says it has registered over 300,000 candidates for its 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in one week.

    The Board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Lagos.

    Benjamin said that this was coming a week after the commencement of the registration exercise.

    The board commenced registration of candidates for 2019 all Computer Based Test (CBT) on Jan.10 and it would close on Feb. 21.

    According to him, the registration so far has been seamless, and the board is happy with the development.

    “We are happy with the way the process is going; we hope it will continue this way.

    “So far, we have registered over 300,000 candidates as at Thursday.

    “We are happy there have not been issues because so far, there is just a tiny gap between the number of candidates that have acquired the e-pin and that of those that have registered,” he said.

    Meanwhile, JAMB had insisted that all candidates with issues of biometrics must go over to Abuja for it to be rectified.

    Read Also: JAMB warns against two candidates sharing phone number

    “I want to reiterate the fact that only the Registrar of the board has the sole right to attend to such issues.

    “Any candidate who may have issues with the capturing of his or her fingerprints at their respective points of registration will need to come down to our office in Abuja.

    “This will require the Chief Executive to do it himself for the purpose of security,” Benjamin said.

    This, however, was contrary to calls by some stakeholders urging the board to set up special centres in every state of the country to tackle issues.

    The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) had argued that asking candidates with biometric issues to travel all the way to Abuja to get such issues sorted out was too demanding, citing dangers of transportation, fares, among others.

    Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the second Deputy National President of the Association, said that most parents were barely struggling to get money to get their children and wards registered.

    Ogunbanjo said that for those with such biometric issues, travelling to Abuja was an additional burden.

  • JAMB: Candidates with biometric problems to write exams in Abuja

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB ) has stated that any candidate with biometric challenge will now have to come to its Head Quarters in Abuja to resolve the issue.

    The board stated that it took the decision after it discovered that many candidates use issues of biometrics to concoct a reason to cheat.

    It’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in an interview in Abuja, said the decision would help curb cheating during its examinations.

    He explained that candidates with biometric issues who register in any of its Computer Based Test centers in Abuja, will also write the examination in any of the board’s accredited centres in the nation’s capital.

    The spokesperson also stated that the board was limiting the registration of candidates to only approved CBT centres in order to end extortion of candidates, mixing up of candidates’ data, malpractice, as well as for monitoring purposes.

    Dr. Benjamin said: “Candidates with biometric challenges can only register at JAMB headquarters in Abuja. No other CBT centre is allowed to register such candidates they will also sit for their examination at JAMB headquarters in Abuja.

    “We noticed that some candidate(s) will just go to these centres and say they can’t register, then, they begin to ask for a reschedule or a special day.”

    He stated that the board would commence the sale of forms and registration for it unified tertiary matriculation examination candidates from January 10th (today) till February 21.

    “The period of sale or registration for all candidates (UTME /DE) including those from foreign countries is from January 10, 2019, to February 21, 2019.

    “Also, the 2019 computer-based test examination will begin on Saturday, March 16 and end on March 23, 2019.

    The spokesperson stated that a new measure has also been put in place for candidates to lodge their complaint to the board’s headquarters directly.

    “ For ALL complaints on JAMB processes, candidates can create a support ticket at (support.jamb.gov.ng) with his/her email address registered on the Board’s site. The candidate then provides his/her name, phone number and the nature of issues, select a complain area on a dropdown and then summarised the nature of the complaint. He/she may also be attached supporting documents (if available ) then send,” he said.

    He advised candidates to register on time before the available spaces on their town of choice or group of town are exhausted.

    He urged all prospective candidates not to release their password to anyone in the process of registration.

    “Candidates are urged not to give their passwords to anybody. As a matter of fact, at the centre, if anyone asks for your password, don’t give it out,” he said.

    Read Also: 2019 UTME: JAMB warns candidates against fraudsters

    Dr. Benjamin stated that the board will also conduct a mock examination in all the accredited CBT centres to prepare and familiarise ‘interested candidates’ with CBT environment.

    The spokesperson stated that the mock examination will commence from February 23.

    He stated that no association or body was permitted to run any mock examination on behalf of JAMB.

    ” Interested candidates are advised to indicate their interest in the mock examination during registration provided it is on or before January 31.

    ”Non -JAMB centres are allowed to collect, through their bank account, a separate seven hundred naira (N700) only, for mock exercise from only interested candidates after notification of centres has been received by the candidate(s),” Dr. Benjamin said.

    Speaking on measures put in place to assist blind candidates and mute or deaf candidates, Mr Benjamin said candidates who are blind are to indicate by typing ‘BLIND’ and also picking the option of ‘writing their examination through CBT mode or read examination aloud’.

    “We also doing something for the ‘mute’ candidates. Those that are completely deaf. At the point of registration, they have to confirm if they are deaf or mute. They’ll indicate it there. So that we can give them special attention in the examination hall,” he added.

    The 2019 UTME will take place in 718 accredited Computer Based Test (CBT) centres across the country.