By SUYI AYODELE, Benin

Authorities of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) have asked the over 3,500 candidates affected by the collapse of the university’s servers on Tuesday to retake the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Confirming this on Thursday, the university, however, assured the candidates affected by the servers downtime that there was no cause for alarm as a substantial number of data had been uploaded.

UNIBEN, in a statement endorsed by its Public Relations Officer, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, disclosed that those affected had been contacted through their e-mails to return for the repeat of the exercise.

“This is to assure candidates who sat for the University’s PUTME on Tuesday the 8th of December, 2020, that they have no cause to worry as those whose submissions were affected in two of the centers, by a technical hitch resulting from power cut on campus, have been advised, via their e-mails, to return for the exercise,” the statement read in part.

According to Ehanire, the candidates had been advised “to go to the university’s ICT Centres from Wednesday 9th to Friday, 11th December, 2020 from 9am.”

The university, while denying that it had problems with its servers, reiterated that the data of the candidates remained intact.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the university has no problem with its servers as the submissions of all candidates who took the examination before 8th December and those of others whose centres were not affected are intact. In the meantime, more than half of the affected candidates have been captured.”

The university had earlier on Wednesday, issued a Short Messaging Service (SMS), asked the candidates to the affected candidates who came from all parts of the country to write the examination to return to the university for another test.

“If you know anyone that wrote post UTME exam today 8th December 2020 @ICT hall UGBOWO, tell the person to come back from any state or city he or she is. UNIBEN server failed for applicants that wrote 9am & 10.30am. Authority has tried their best to call some students but their phones are off. Tell ur love ones…,” the message on the university’s SMS platform had read.

Ehanire added that the institution’s “management regrets all the discomfort caused by the unfortunate incident.”

(Nigerian Tribune)

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