JAMB says No extension of registration deadline for 2019 UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said there won’t be an extension for 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration.

Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe, Chairman, Governing Board of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), made this known on Friday during an inspection of selected accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Lagos.

He stated that ongoing registration in most of the centres has been seamless.

However, Okay Nigeria understands that three major centres were inspected during the tour.

He said during the tour, “I am indeed impressed with what I have been able to see regarding registration of candidates for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

“Reports garnered so far from the various administrators of these centres, coupled with what I have witnessed, is pointing to just one thing – the fact that the exercise has been going on without hitches.

“The exercise, being this smooth and hitch-free, means there may be no extension of the deadline for this registration.

“We must have to be strict with the approved date of closure of the exercise given to the public.

“If we start thinking about an extension, it will mean portraying the board as not being serious, because you saw for yourselves that some of the centres that we visited had many systems with few candidates to attend to.

“Therefore, all prospective candidates for the examination must be mindful of the deadline for the registration, as I do not foresee any extension,’’ Ndukwe said.

Ndukwe also advised administrators of CBT centres to stick to the rules and regulations guiding the process in their interest and that of the candidates.

In his words, “If we should find any centres that fall short of the set rules and regulations, or engage in anything that can undermine the integrity of the examination, we will not hesitate to come down hard outrightly on such centres, to serve as a deterrent to others.

“You can see that during the inspection, we also took out time to talk to some candidates randomly, in an attempt to find out if they were being overcharged at one stage or the other in the course of registering for the examination.

“We are being very strict about it because the President Mohammadu Buhari-led administration, in its magnanimity, reduced the cost of the registration document from the initial N5,000 to N3,500.

“This reduction rate must be carried out to the later because it was done as a result of this administration’s concern about the plight of the ordinary Nigerian.

“Therefore, the board will not take kindly, any form of extortion on them,’’ he said.

Okay Nigeria had reported that the registration, which began on Jan. 10, will close on Feb.