The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has recommended tough penalties for 11 Computer?Based Test (CBT) centres and their registrants involved in fingerprint irregularities during registration for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known after a brainstorming session with key stakeholders, following a meeting with the affected CBT centres and registrants on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said? the measures, which still require the approval of the Education Minister, Dr Tunji Alausa, are intended to protect the integrity of the examination process.

?The leadership of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, with some critical stakeholders here, recommends as follows: That any registrant who has registered more than 50 candidates (with infractions) should be dismissed from participating in any activities of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

?And what that means is that such a person will not participate in any UTME exercise, will not be registered for the UTME even as a student, and will not be allowed to participate in any of the sister examinations, be it WAEC, NECO, or NABTEB, and this is to be for three years.

?The suspension is to stay for three years. After three years, the Board will revisit it and look at the issue. If the registrant has shown any remorse, such a suspension could be lifted.

?And others who have registered less than 50 will be warned, and they will be required to write a letter of apology to the board after issuing a bond, indicating that they will not be involved in such a thing again.

?All CBT centres involved will also be required to give evidence of training of their registrants, and that training should be anchored by any of the federal universities within their vicinity. The appropriate department of the university should anchor that training,? Oloyede said through JAMB?s Public Communication Adviser, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, who read out the recommendations.

Throwing more light on the recommendations, Oloyede said the board will not tolerate any infraction from the affected centres in the future, despite their claim of ignorance; hence, the need for them to undergo necessary training in federal universities closest to them before JAMB can re-engage them.

?We will not allow any of these centres to do anything with us until they bring a certificate, a letter from a federal institution closest to that centre that their staff have been trained on ethical standards.

?But for the centres, those that the federal government owns, the reports will be made to the authorities that this is what your agency did,? Oloyede said.

Earlier, most of the affected registrants and some CBT operators who confessed to engaging in candidate?s finger contribution during the registration process, attributed the act to ignorance or the need to register more people in their centres, even as many broke down in tears and pleaded for leniency.

One of the stakeholders at the meeting and former Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the actions of the affected registrants warrant prosecution and a possible jail term, but appealed to JAMB to forgive and make them sign an undertaking not to engage in such infraction in the future.

Also, an official of Jicoras CBT Centre, Bashir Gumel, stated that the centre has already commenced an internal investigation into the involvement of its registrants, adding that the outcome will be forwarded to JAMB.

?We have summoned all of them to come here, and we have heard what they have done. And they have confessed. To maintain the integrity of our institution, this will not proceed in that manner. They have to be punished.

?And we promise that the action that will be taken will be shared with the JAMB office. And in that regard, again, our centre is not an established centre. We are located in a catchment area with very few CBT centres.

?Because this is our first time, and we were not aware of such an occurrence. We promised that this would never occur again,? Gumel said.

The affected CBT centres that were invited for the meeting are Misau Emirate ICT Centre, Misau, Bauchi State; Ijaw National Academy, Kiama, Bayelsa State; Directorate of ICT Nigerian Army University, Biu, Gombe State, Emerald IT Academy Limited, Benin City, Edo State, Tigh Technologies, Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja; Jicoras CBT Centre, Babura, Jigawa State and Huntsville Technology Limited, Anthony, Lagos State.

Others are Jolas College CBT Centre, Obalende, Lagos, Abdul Ocean Wealth CBT Centre, Ibadan, Oyo State, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Wase, Plateau State and the Consulate Salle D?Examen CBT Centre, By Jonny Lane/Navy Barrack Agip Estate, Rivers State. (The Guardian)

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