The Nation Newspaper

Tag: JAMB

  • ASUU hails JAMB for blacklisting CBT centres

    ASUU hails JAMB for blacklisting CBT centres

    The Academic Staff   Union of Universities (ASUU) has commended the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for blacklisting 48 Computer Based Test (CBT)   centres used for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    The President of the union, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said in Lagos on Thursday that owners of the blacklisted centres should also be prosecuted.

    The 48 CBT centres were among more than 600 centres used for the conduct of the UTME held nationwide in May.

    JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, had on Wednesday announced the blacklisting of the centres for alleged involvement in extortion and “organised examination malpractice” during the UTME.

    Oloyede said the decision was taken at the end of an enlarged meeting with external examiners and other stakeholders in the conduct of the examination.

    He also announced the cancellation of results of 50,000 candidates for alleged involvement in malpractice during the examination.

    The ASUU boss said the development was a step in the right direction, describing it as “the way to go.’’

    “What JAMB has done in that respect is a welcome development and a good decision.

    “I will not expect it to stop at just blacklisting of such centres.

    “The leadership of the board should go a step forward by prosecuting owners of the affected centres in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

    “This measure will further ensure that the integrity of the examination cannot be undermined,’’ Ogunyemi said.

    NAN

     

  • JAMB reschedules examination for 62,140 candidates

    JAMB reschedules examination for 62,140 candidates

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday said 62,140 candidates, who had issues with late registration, biometric non-verification and cancellation of results would have to rewrite the examination.

    The board said the rescheduled examination would hold on 1 July across the candidates’ centres.

    JAMB Registrar Is-haq Oloyede spoke yesterday after a meeting of the board’s management with chief external examiners and other major stakeholders on the conduct of 2017 UTME, at its headquarters, Bwari, Abuja.

    Oloyede said the meeting candidatesapproved the cancellation of the results of 1,386 candidates for examination malpractices.

    He added that these candidates would not be allowed to rewrite the examination.

    The JAMB registrar said: “The meeting approved the cancellation of the results of 1,386 individual candidates found culpable of examination malpractice. The cancellation of results of 57,646 in centres-induced malpractice. The cancellation of the two results of the 666 candidates engaged in multiple examinations.

    “The meeting also agreed on the rescheduling of examination for candidates of centres with mass malpractice, but who are deemed innocent, biometric non-verification machine related issues, late registration, four lost sessions in three centres due to malfunctioning of three servers at the centre and incomplete results.”

    According to him, the meeting also approved the delisting of 48 computer based test centres from participating in JAMB examination because of various infractions.

    “The meeting approved the suspension of 24 computer based test centres for one year due to technical issues. These centres would not participate in the 2018 unified tertiary matriculation examination but they can be reconsidered for 2019 and above.

    The delisting of 48 centres from participating in the board’s examination in future as a result of serious technical deficiencies, extortion, organised examination malpractices and other damaging infractions,” he added.

  • How Ikoyi prison inmates fared in UTME – School Principal

    How Ikoyi prison inmates fared in UTME – School Principal

    The Principal of the Ikoyi Prison School, Mr Ibikunle Idris, says 36 out of 59 inmates who sat for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scored 180 and above.

    Idris, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos, said the performance of the inmates, in spite of their being in incarceration, was impressive.

    He said that one of the inmates scored 236; the highest among candidates in the school during the examination.

    “The highest score among the inmates we presented for the 2017 UTME is 236.

    “I am impressed with this year’s performance, compared to last year’s performance in the same examination in terms of average.

    “The 59 candidates that wrote this year’s examination is an improvement over 36 persons that registered in 2016,’’ the principal said.

    He attributed the success story to “the new penchant for learning’’ demonstrated by the inmates.

    According to him, the efforts put in by various individual volunteer teachers from within and outside the facility also contributed to the performance of the inmates.

    He said the prison authorities also improved their facilities, which enhanced qualitative teaching.

    The principal also commended JAMB for assisting the school with 60 computers and accessories for the conduct of the UTME.

    Idris told NAN that the prison authorities were following up the academic progress of some inmates that were recently released as part of its aftercare service.

    “We are still getting in touch with them.

    “We try to follow them up and offer guidelines on what to do at every given point in time.

    “Recently, three of them, who had left the facility, called to seek assistance on how to further their education.’’

    The principal, however, pleaded with relevant government authorities to assist the facility with a befitting Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre.

    “With a well-equipped CBT centre in the facility, the inmates can be effectively trained on how to apply the computer during major external examinations.

    “Most external examination now, aside GCE, are CBT based,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, the Deputy Controller of Prisons (DCP) at the Ikoyi facility, Mr Julius Ezeugwu, described the performance of the inmates as `heart-warming’.

    He appealed to NGOs and other public-spirited individuals to support the facility in the area of educational programmes for the inmates.

    “Government cannot do it alone, but if we can get support from voluntary organisations and individuals, we will have more inmates sitting for examinations and we will record better performance.

    “In all, we will not relent in our efforts to ensure that their welfare is given topmost priority,’’ Ezeugwu said.

    NAN reports that inmates that are successful in the UTME have the opportunity to enrol in the National Open University of Nigeria for further studies while still serving their terms.

  • JAMB releases 1,606,901 UTME results, says Oloyede

    JAMB releases 1,606,901 UTME results, says Oloyede

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released 1,606,901 results out of the 1,718, 425 that registered in the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    The JAMB registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said this at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.

    Oloyede said the results were released within 24 hours of the examination, adding that the remaining 80,889 candidates’ results would be released soon.

    He said it was also a deliberate act by the board to withhold about 76,923 results due to some alleged malpractices in some of the Computer Based Centres (CBT) where exams were held.

    “Six weeks into the registration, we harvested in preparation for the exam about 1.7 million registrations.

    “But so far, we have released the results of 1,606,901 candidates leaving us with a balance of 80,889.

    “Out of this 80,889, we have deliberately withheld 76,925 results for further investigation because of alleged malpractices.”

    The registrar said results would henceforth not be released immediately from 2018 unless every issues pertaining to the conduct of an examination had been thoroughly looked into which depict the international best practices.

    He added that results that had not been released would be released before the commencement of admission exercise.

    He also said supplementary examination would be conducted soon for candidates who had hitches in the registration and examination processes.

    Oloyede attributed some of the hitches to some CBT owners and cyber cafe operators.

    “Anybody whose biometric could not be verified will be allowed to do the supplementary examination.

    “As at today, 640 candidates out of 1.7million candidates did not do biometric verification, reasons being that some fraudsters registered candidates across online.

    “In this case, the students are not guilty of the offence and hence will be made to write the exam again under my own very eyes.”

    Oloyede highlighted some of the exam malpractices to have been initiated by parents who pay heavily to buy fake questions for their wards.

    He said others include deliberate shut down and disconnection of network by some CBT owners to access questions on the computers and also exploit candidates of their fortune.

    “In the course of our monitoring, JAMB had to buy question for N20,000 and also cases where CBT centres approaches our staff promising N500,000 for them to give out questions.

    “These are some of the challenges we experienced in this exam,” he said.

    He added: “Parents of these super VIP paid N200, 000 for each of the candidates to be able to score high marks. We are able to be ahead of them. Next year we are going to put electronic jammers in all the CBT centres. They better start to think of another way because we know that is what they do and we will also plan ahead of them.”

    Oloyede, however, promised to introduce electronic jammers in subsequent examination to further reduce malpractices.

    He called on public and religious institutions to avoid letting out their premises to CBT centres as this create room for fraudulent practices.

    He advised candidates having issues or any form of correction to go to designated JAMB CBT centres and do so for free.

  • JAMB, Registrar Oloyede bags highest award over successful CBT-UTME

    Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Transparency on Governance has hailed the management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, over the successful conduct of the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
    CCSOTG subsequently conferred the title of ‘IDEAL CHANGE AGENT’ on JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oleyede for the well-conduct of the examination.
    The highly revered group, which mission is to hold government and government agencies accountable by making sure they affect their abilities and deliver their mandates to the public, noted that after monitoring the exercise, it concluded that the Oleyede-board has done well.
    CCSOTG said its reaction became imperative following the recent reform process in the sector, which attracted divided opinions from the general public on its impact for the selection of undergraduates.
    The group said, after monitoring the exercise, it discovered that JAMB should be given more kudos than knocks.
    “You will agree that this was imperative given the conflicting positions being stated by various stakeholders. It was therefore necessary that the coalition places itself in vantage position to be able to speak to facts.
    “We therefore leveraged on our wide network to do on the ground monitoring of the examination. This of course was after we had dedicatedly followed the processes leading to the exercise itself. The aftermath of the examination, which included the release of results were also closely watched,” Sabo Odeh Executive Director/Convener of the organization made this known at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
    According to Odeh, after observing the Computer Based Test UMTE, which JAMB monitored through closed circuit television (CCTV) in addition to other traditional assurance system, observed that despite the best efforts of JAMB, organization of the UMTE experienced some hitches.
    He observed that lapses were however externally motivated to an extent that the Board had limited wiggle room to influence them otherwise.
    Odeh said the CBT Centres would still have to do more to meet the standards demanded by JAMB.
    He said, “Since these are businesses that deploy their facilities for other uses, the burden is on them to upgrade as necessary since they are not offering their services for free. Our suggestion is that JAMB should explore new partnerships with a view to delisting centres that have proven problematic.”
    The group’s convener also observed that the board needed to improve on broadband connectivity, which he said some critics noted that the “connectivity was a critical issue in the conduct of the examination. Unfortunately, this is a national issue that requires further investment in broadband infrastructure by telecommunications companies.
    He also cited the instance of computer literacy where, “some candidates did not have computer literacy skill on the level to allow them comfortably write the examination. Such candidates do not however constitute the majority. Our recommendation is for JAMB to work with the relevant stakeholders to boost the computer literacy of secondary school students so that they would have become capable at the point of writing the examination.”
    Despite all the hitches, the group confirmed that, “conduct of the UTME was orderly, conformed with best standards at most parameters, and is commendable. Instances of malpractices were however recorded at centres where people colluded to cover the cameras with hoods.”
    It also hailed JAMB for the timely release of results of candidates, which has justified the innovations put in place by JAMB
    It also suggested that JAMB should consider a-three-year ban for both candidates and centres implicated in malpractices. The push to reform our nation should be grounded in the education sector.
    “Having duly considered the organization of the UTME, its conduct and results that reflect the reality of the Nigerian situation, we have resolved to award the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oleyede with one of our most prestigious honour. We hereby confer on Professor Oloyede the honour  of IDEAL CHANGE AGENT. This is even more so as he has, of all the President’s appointees, demonstrated uncommon leadership qualities and commitment within the shortest period of his appointment.”
  • No cut-off marks  yet, says JAMB

    No cut-off marks  yet, says JAMB

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it is yet to release cut-off marks for placements into tertiary institutions for 2017 academic year, contrary to speculation by some Nigerians.

    The Head, Media and Information, JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, made the clarification in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday.

    He said the policy committee meeting responsible for the determination of cut-off marks had not met.

    According to him, it is in the best interest of candidates and other critical stakeholders to jettison cut-off marks for the various courses that are currently being paraded.

    “We want to appeal to all candidates to jettison such speculations and engage themselves in more meaningful ventures that would add value to their future,’’ he said.

    Benjamin said results of the just concluded 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) had since been released, with a few others still being previewed.

    “We want to appeal to Nigerians to understand that such candidates whose results are being previewed may not necessarily have participated in any malpractice.

    “But rather, centres where they sat for the examination had issues during the conduct of examination.

    “These issues were reflected on the CCTV footage and this suggests why they must be carefully investigated before releasing such results,” he said.

    According to him, a very disturbing and unfortunate case is that of a school in Abia where cables were seen to have been connected secretly to a distant hall for hired mercenaries to write for candidates.

    “This is very unfortunate given the fact that the school is a missionary school and supposed to be a leading light against such vices.

    “But, rather, it was conniving, supporting and indeed championing the evil course of examination malpractice,’’ Benjamin said in the statement.

    He said such results would be treated in accordance with the provision of the law.

    According to him, a task force has been inaugurated by the Registrar of the board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to look into all such issues and has since concluded the review of the CCTV footages and other evidences presented.

    He said that the task force would forward its reports to the appropriate quarters for the scrutiny and onward release of all remaining results.

     

  • No cut – off marks yet for UTME – JAMB

    No cut – off marks yet for UTME – JAMB

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said on Tuesday it is yet to release cut-off marks for placements into the nation’s tertiary institutions for 2017 academic year.

    The Head, Media and Information, JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, made the clarification in a statement in Lagos.

    He said the JAMB committee responsible for the determination of cut-off marks is yet to meet on the matter.

    The JAMB spokesman said it is in the best interest of candidates and other critical stakeholders to ignore cut-off marks for various courses currently paraded by some people.

    `”We want to appeal to all candidates to jettison such speculations and engage themselves in more meaningful ventures that would add value to their future,’’ he said.

    Benjamin said results of the just concluded 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) had since been released, with few others still being previewed.

    ”We want to appeal to Nigerians to understand that such candidates whose results are being previewed may not necessarily have participated in any malpractice.

    “But rather, centres where they sat for the examination had issues during the conduct of examination.

    ”These issues were reflected on the CCTV footage and this suggests why they must be carefully investigated before releasing such results,” he said.

    NAN

  • UTME: JAMB withholds 300 results over malpractices

    UTME: JAMB withholds 300 results over malpractices

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has so far withheld the results of 300 candidates who wrote the unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME), its Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede has said.

    Oloyede said this on Thursday when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a weekly programme on Channels Television in Abuja.

    He also said the agency has released the results of 15, 000 candidates, adding that the board has released the results of candidates where it had no problem.

    According to him, the board would release results of candidates after it had ensured that they did not participate in malpractices.

    Oloyede also said the board would not hesitate to sanction anybody found wanting no matter how highly placed the person is.

    “For instance this  morning (Thursday) we have released about 15, 000 results but among those who sat in that centre we have real reasons, concrete evidence to say about 300 of them the results will not be release because they knew they were not in the hall where the examination took place.

    “Those who do not receive are qualified not to receive. In all the places where there are no problem we have released the results within 24 hours. But those who have not they may not be culpable but we are investigating.

    “Where we have reasons to doubt anything, where we have report of anything that was not acceptable to us we have withheld the results and we keep on releasing them as we clear them.

    “We are comparing those who sat for the examination, how long they sat in the hall and when some of them will take excuse that they are going to the toilet only to go to what they call VIP, all these have been able to track and I want to say that we will not hesitate to sanction anybody no matter how highly placed,” he said.

    Oloyede also said the board would not impose any candidate on any institutions in the country.

    According to him, the board will not take any candidate that has not been recommended by the institution.

    “The final say for admission rest squarely with the institutions. Their senates and academic boards are empowered to determine the students. What JAMB does is and what it should continue to do is to moderate, to ensure equity, to ensure that nobody is unfairly treated.

    “JAMB should not and will not take any student that has not been recommended by the institution. JAMB was not established to take up the responsibility or to usurp the power of the senate. What JAMB should do is to moderate, take recommendation and ask questions.

    “JAMB will give the admission letter but the process of giving the letter must be democratic enough, must not encroach on the powers of the senate and the academic boards of the various institutions.

    “We will advise our colleagues who are manning these institutions to be fair and to play according to the rule but we will not impose anything on the institutions,” he said.

    He also said that fraudsters who meet the requirements of the organization are establishing computer based test centers just to defraud candidates.

    “We now have situation that crooks, people who have no standards are now establishing CBT centres and they are meeting our requirements only to misuse the opportunity.

    “We have seen so many of such that we want to call on credible Nigerians, credible institutions, and government agencies. If we can partner with some federal government or state or public institutions to expand their facilities I will be more comfortable.

    “We have seen supposedly highly placed individuals who own CBT centres and are using the CBT centres to perpetrate examination malpractices,” he added.

     

  • Plaudits for JAMB over UTME

    Plaudits for JAMB over UTME

    We are looking at reports from across centres and acting on them, and if we notice any infractions, we shall have such candidates’ result withdrawn.

    ‘If you notice, you will realise that the trend in terms of scores were on the average, most candidates scored between 180 and 220 which to me, is a true picture of their performances’

    It used the mock test as a spring board and it seemed to have paid off. Though complaints trailed the mock exam, it has been praises all the way for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for the way it conducted the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Examination (UTME). The exam was written nationwide between May 13 and 20.

    Many candidates, parents and stakeholders are praising JAMB for overcoming what they called the embarrassment of the mock computer based test (CBT). JAMB has been walking with its head held high since the conclusion of the main exam last weekend.

    Its Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, said the board should not be blamed for such hitches as irregular power supply, lateness in take-off time and malfunctioning computer.

    Speaking with reporters during a visit to some of the centres in Lagos, Oloyede said the board is considering abandoning the fingerprint for a better innovation. He refered to some Nigerians as “criminally fraudulent” for using varying ways to circumvent the system.

    “We discovered that about 70 per centre of the private CBT centres engaged in fraud; but as they tried to beat us, we were there before them. We have seen many people you would call eminent Nigerians who are school owners, centre owners and some even with Ph.D engaging in fraudulent practices. It is shocking and embarrassing too but JAMB is ahead of them.”

    Beginning from next session, Oloyede said the board would come up with stringent measures for would-be JAMB accredited centres so as to separate the wheat from the chaff.

    ‘’We shall withdraw results and prosecute offenders,’’ he said

    The board’s information officer Fabian Benjamin, said the body has since begun the monitoring of closed Circuit Television (CCTV) at centres nationwide to detect infractions by candidates, adding that the process would be ongoing.

    “We have already commenced the CCTV monitoring and is an ongoing thing,” Fabian told our reporter on phone on Tuesday.

    “We are looking at reports from across centres and acting on them, and if we notice any infractions, we shall have such candidates’ result withdrawn.

    “We are so committed to this such that even if the candidate is already in 200-Level in the university, we shall withdraw the result and also direct the university to withdraw his result and admission.”

    Fabian said the system was configured in such a manner that even when a candidate’s computer shuts down in the process of writing the exam, the two hours allocated period still remains intact and the candidate can  continue after the system is restored.

    He said the board has begun  some legal proceedings against candidates across states.

     

    Candidates react

    Unlike in the past, many candidates praised the board for a job well done.

    A candidate, Abdulraheem Olubukola Oladokun who wrote CBT  at Aire-Max Computer Institute beside Mother Theresa Catholic Church, Masalla, Niger State on May18, said except the alteration in commencement time, the system was hitch-free.

    “We were scheduled to begin at 9 am, but somehow it turned out to be 11am,” Oladokun recalled.

    “Everything was in line with JAMB protocol. No system went off to the best of my knowledge. At 1pm, I was done. On Friday, I got my scores-Maths:73; English 75; Economics 60; and Government 69; and it is just how I expected it to be,” he said happily.

    Another candidate Bakan Ishaku Robo, spoke of her challenges.

    “My centre was Thaddeus Science Academy, Madakiya, Kafanchan in Kaduna State,” Robo began

    “I am not happy with the examination body because I encountered a serious challenge with my system while the time was going. The time left after my system was fixed was not up to an hour. I had to rush without focus to finish my examination, I wished JAMB would consider those of us who wrote on (Saturday) May 13 and give us another examination to write.”

    But, Bisola Ayuba and Yetunde Bisoye did not experience challenges at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH). “The exam went well. I don’t think I heard or saw any inconveniences. The hall was okay, the computers functioned well too,” said Ayuba.

    “I have been coming to this centre even before today (Friday) that I wrote, I didn’t notice any complaint of any sort. In truth, JAMB tried this year,” Bisoye said.

    However, things appeared to be different in Benue State.

    According to our reporter, the Board approved 11 CBT centres across the three senatorial zones.

    Of all the centers The Nation visited, only candidates at the Benue State University (BSU) campus had smooth sail.

    Almost all the candidates who spoke to The Nation scored BSU – CBT centre as the best. They also described the sitting arrangement and the air-conditioned hall that accommodated over 170 computers as perfect and excellent for such examination.

    The BSU – CBT Centre Manager, Paul- Ben Ajene, told The Nation that besides  the 170 computers, there was also provision for 10 other computers reserved for any emergency, if any computer developed fault during examination.

    Ajene noted that all the computers worked well throughout the examination.

    Like in other centres nationwide, Ajene said Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were on standby to prevent security breach.

    It was a different story at  Gboko College of Education in Gboko, Benue north west senatorial zone, as JAMB officials shut down the  CBT centre and relocated all the candidates to another one .

    The centre Manager, Francis Ofoumah, told The Nation that all the 150 computers packed up midway into the examination. All attempts to restart them failed.

    Ofoumah said because of  the tension and pressure from the candidates and the need to save time and cost the exam was moved to another centre.

    Ajima Patience, a candidate in the area, did not find her experience funny at all.

    Hear her: “I wrote my exam on May16. It was hell! We were supposed to start by 9am and my centre was supposed to be one of the halls within the College of Education Gboko Benue State. But there was a problem with the system. We were moved to another centre at Calvary Arrows, Peace House in Gboko. To cut the story short, we started the exam by 6.30pm and ended by 8.30pm. Due to the stress, I felt sick in the hall and I did not even know what I was choosing as answers again. I pray I should make this year’s JAMB by God’s grace. I also pray that JAMB should have mercy on us and add more mark for us for the exam.”

    Except for the limited number of computers which dragged candidates’ time, there was no ugly incident in Otukpo and Oju CBT centres in Benue south.

    Bolanle Ogunwemimo, who wrote at the Digital Bridge Institute in Cappa, Oshodi, said: “This year’s JAMB is more appealing. I thought the issues we faced trying to write the Mock exam will surface again but JAMB did well. The computer I used was okay, the network too was awesome.”

    Another candidate at the same centre Bayo Babatunde said: “I was impressed seeing that I did not experience any hitches. I praise JAMB for that. At least you are only faced with answering the questions correctly and not having any additional issues with the computer not functioning well.

     

    What parents say

    A parent Mrs Josephine Madu said: “JAMB has tried this year. At least it deserves a pass mark. It is not about occupying a position but making sure you address challenges well enough so that in the end your work speaks louder for you. To that effect, I look forward to seeing more advancement in the management of this exam.

    “There are still challenges not just during the exam but starting from the registration process. I could recall a lot of students had issues trying to register for the exam. This needs to be addressed too. I am sure this improvement in the conduct of the exam was as a result of the experience they had during that mock exam which they eventually cancelled. I encourage JAMB not to relent, they should strive to have a hitch-free examination yearly because I believe we can get it right.”

    Another parent who is a teacher in a public school in Lagos, Mrs Ola Erinfolami, said scores this year truly reflected candidates’ performances.

    “If you notice, you will realise that the trend in terms of scores were on the average, most candidates scored between 180 and 220 which to me, is a true picture of their performances.

    “I think this will compel JAMB to lower the cut-off mark and be very objective in their approach to those scores. The problems we had in the past was that many candidates who did next to nothing were getting jumbo marks, while those who sweated for the exam usually got lower marks. These unscrupulous candidates with higher marks were the ones that were usually considered for admission first at the expense of others. Unfortunately, they get into universities and underperform.”

    Mrs Folashade Obembe, a civil servant, said the development has put a task on candidates to revisit their books ahead of exams.

    “With what I’m seeing now, our children will learn to go back and start reading. They are now realising is no more business as usual and that the only means by which they can pass JAMB is to study hard,” she said.

     

    Suspected hackers held

    Eighteen persons were arrested on Monday by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for attempting to hack into JAMB’s website to gain access to questions. Items recovered from them include 27 laptops, cables and a generating set.

    The suspects were picked up in an apartment at 13, Lutheran Road, Ikot Ekpene.

    The suspect linked a cable from the  apartment to switch of one of the computer systems in a JAMB accredited centre close by. This was aimed at connecting the cable to the server for access to JAMB questions.

    The suspect was arrested alongside mercenaries already stationed to immediately supply answers to the JAMB questions once the portal is hacked and send same questions to candidates.

     

    Tight rein on centres

    A source close to a centre in Ijanikin on Lagos/Badagry Expressway said her boss rejected offers by parents and candidates who wanted him to help them circumvent the system.

    “My oga (referring to her boss) collected N15,000 each from candidates last year to help them in the examination. I also helped facilitate some candidates to the centre and made good money. But this year, it was different. My oga kept rejecting those that came with money thinking he would help them. He kept telling them that the era of exam fraud is over and he would not like to risk jail because he wanted to make money.”

    Another centre operator who also spoke to our reporter on ‘condition of anonymity, said aside the CCTV, centre operators were also directed to hands off their centres.

    “What JAMB did was to pay us off for using our centres. Beyond that, we were not allowed to come anywhere near the centres. JAMB brought their aides and security officials themselves. That made it difficult for any centre operator to want to misbehave,” the source said.

    “Aside CCTV cameras, coordinators at the centres and security guards were monitoring movements within and outside each premises, the CCTV cameras are also wired to JAMB headquarters in Abuja. This means that even if you try to hide anything at the centre here, they will discover in Abuja and that means trouble for the centre or for you,” the source added.

  • NANS hails JAMB over UTME

    NANS hails JAMB over UTME

    The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has hailed the Prof. Ishaq Oloyede-led Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its conduct of last week’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    It said its position was informed by reports of its field officers across the country.

    In a statement by its National President, Comrade Aruna Kadiri, the apex students’ body said despite teething technical problems  in some centres and externally-induced hitches, which were beyond the board, the conduct of the examination was successful in many parts of the country.

    Noting that despite increase in the number of students this year and considering this is the second fully Computer Based Test (CBT), NANS said it believed the conduct of the exam was an improvement on previous years’.

    It said the reforms put in place by the Oloyede leadership to make the exam corruption-free and fraud-proof yielded results, as there were no cases of cyber hacking.