Over 80% of Candidates Miss JAMB Mop-Up Exam – Oloyede.
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Over 80% of Candidates Miss JAMB Mop-Up Exam – Oloyede.
More than 80% of the 98,232 candidates expected to sit for the nationwide mop-up Unified Te
rtiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Saturday failed to show up, according to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The Board linked the low turnout to tightened security measures aimed at catching impersonators and curbing exam malpractice.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who monitored the exercise in Abuja, said only about 12% of the registered candidates appeared nationwide. He explained that mop-up exams are usually held for a few thousand candidates who missed the main UTME due to legitimate reasons like illness or technical problems.
“This is typically for about 4,000 or 5,000 students. But this year, we decided to give all absentees another chance. At the same time, we used intelligence from security agencies to identify and catch those involved in impersonation,” Oloyede said.
He revealed that the broader invitation to the mop-up exam was strategic—to allow for the detection and apprehension of impersonators. Many centres expecting 250 candidates per session recorded less than 20 participants.
Oloyede also accused some private school owners and tutorial centers of operating as syndicates for examination malpractice. He stated that the Education Ministry is determined to combat such practices.
Impersonation and False Declarations
One of the new tactics used by cheats, according to the JAMB registrar, involved falsely identifying as albinos to manipulate facial recognition systems. While the board usually records fewer than 100 albino candidates per year, over 1,700 declared themselves as such this year. One centre alone registered 450 of these.
Oloyede explained that impersonators used photo-blending technology to manipulate identification. “They take two pictures and blend them so the facial recognition system gets confused,” he said, adding that several suspects had already been arrested, including one individual caught claiming to be an albino in Benin.
He stressed that JAMB would hold impersonators accountable, noting that they registered with their names, National Identification Numbers (NINs), schools, and phone numbers, making them traceable.
He also warned that parents financing these fraudulent activities may soon face investigation and prosecution.
Mop-Up Results and Certificate Forgery
While mop-up exam results were scheduled to be ready on Saturday, Oloyede said the board might delay the release until Monday to allow time for screening and the removal of results linked to malpractice.
On Direct Entry (DE) applications, Oloyede disclosed that 14 candidates had already been caught submitting forged certificates. He also exposed a new scheme involving institutions issuing fake National Certificate in Education (NCE) qualifications to candidates who never attended such programs.
In one case, a student who graduated from secondary school in 2021 presented documentation showing NCE admission in 2020—a clear forgery. He criticized institutions aiding these fraudulent activities and emphasized that post-graduation corrections, such as acquiring missing subjects like mathematics for engineering, are not acceptable.
Oloyede concluded by saying many such fraudulent institutions would be held accountable, noting that they had started backdating certificates to avoid detection.
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Faith Kegh
Content & Editorial Manager - Leads the creation, review, and publication of high-quality news and media content. She ensures that all editorial work reflects the organization’s standards of accuracy, professionalism, and relevance, while also engaging and informing the audience.
As the key driver of TokinPoint Media LTD's editorial voice, the manager oversees content planning, assigns tasks to writers or editors, enforces deadlines, and ensures consistency across all platforms. She also plays a strategic role in aligning content with audience interests and search engine optimization (SEO) best practices.