2020 UTME: JAMB suspends use of National Identification Number

On Saturday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) suspended the use of the National Identification Number for registration for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME.

JAMB registrar Ishaq Oloyede, speaking to newsmen in Abuja said the decision was made to provide more time for candidates to get their national identification numbers.

"We came to a decision yesterday and decided that we will suspend the use of NIN as a prerequisite for the 2020 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) registration until 2021. By then, all candidates would have been given one year notice to register.

"This does not affect our permanent and adhoc staff who will participate in the exercise as they will require the NIN for verification.

"We have gone round and seen the passion and commitment of the candidates; the reality on ground is that what we expect is not attainable at the moment, so we shall not inflict more pain on candidates."

"Technical issues on ground with regards to the system of registration at the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC), was one of the major reasons for the suspension.

"Plans are underway for the provision of a more advanced system that will be more efficient for the exercise. The board as well as NIMC would continue to share its intelligence reports as well as other plans for the smooth conduct of the exercise in future.

"The need for NIN as a prerequisite for the exercise was to tackle identity fraud during examinations."

Meanwhile, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr Aliyu Azeez, said that "the move was necessary as the commission was overwhelmed with the exercise within the short time given.

He said that NIMC had only 1,000 centres around the country for the exercise and would need up to 4,000 to conduct such exercise.

Recall that JAMB has fixed this year’s examination for March 14 to April 4, while an optional mock examination for candidates is scheduled for Feb. 18.