The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to accredit 1,039 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Nigeria for the 2026 tertiary institution entrance examination.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is’haq Oloyede, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday during a five-day nationwide CBT centres accreditation exercise. He explained that 52 examination teams have been deployed to assess centres for re-accreditation, while those found wanting would be disqualified.
According to Oloyede, the annual accreditation tour is necessary to ensure that CBT centres continue to meet the Board’s standards, stressing that approval in a previous year does not automatically guarantee eligibility in subsequent years. He described the ongoing exercise as largely successful, noting that only a few centres previously implicated in malpractice had attempted to resurface.
He revealed that some centres involved in examination malpractice last year, though not in Kwara State, had attempted to rebrand or relocate to participate again. To curb this, JAMB has partnered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to track directors of sanctioned centres using their National Identification Numbers (NIN), ensuring that such individuals cannot operate or register CBT centres anywhere in the country.
Oloyede added that staff members and proctors previously implicated in malpractice have also been flagged through their NINs, preventing them from working in other centres. Any centre found engaging such individuals, he warned, would not be approved.
He further explained that JAMB has introduced stricter measures this year, including permanently barring computer systems linked to delisted centres from being reused within the JAMB network. According to him, any equipment, staff, or tools associated with a sanctioned centre will no longer be allowed back into the system under any circumstance.
The registrar disclosed that two breaches of these rules had already been detected and were under investigation. Security agencies, he said, have been invited to probe those involved, noting that such actions constitute violations not only against JAMB but also against Nigerian law.
Also speaking, the Chief Technical Adviser to the accreditation team in Kwara State, Professor Veronica Mejabi, explained that CBT centres are assessed based on both “hard” and “soft” criteria set by JAMB. She noted that key technical requirements include the use of a specified network topology to enable swift troubleshooting, as well as the provision of inverter backups and standby generators to address power outages during examinations.
She added that the soft criteria cover facilities such as adequate waiting areas for candidates, functional toilet facilities within and outside the examination halls, and the installation of CCTV cameras for effective monitoring during exams.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), who led one of the accreditation teams, warned prospective candidates against engaging in examination malpractice. He cautioned that anyone caught cheating would face severe consequences, emphasizing that such actions could permanently jeopardize their academic future.
