Ilorin, Dec. — (Naija247news) — The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to accredit 1,039 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Nigeria ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), as part of intensified efforts to strengthen examination integrity and eliminate malpractice.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, during an ongoing accreditation and validation tour of CBT centres across the country.
According to him, 52 accreditation teams have been deployed nationwide to re-accredit existing centres and disqualify those that fail to meet the board’s increasingly stringent standards.
“The board is planning to accredit a total of 1,039 computer-based test centres across the country for the 2026 examination,” Oloyede said.
“We have 52 teams deployed nationwide to carry out this exercise of reaccrediting and, in some cases, disqualifying centres that fail to meet our standards.”
Annual Accreditation, Zero Assumptions
The registrar stressed that CBT centre accreditation is an annual process, warning operators against assuming continued eligibility based on past approvals.
“The fact that you qualified last year does not mean you qualify this year,” he said, noting that evolving technological and security standards require constant reassessment.
He described the ongoing exercise as “so far, so good,” but revealed that JAMB had detected attempts by some previously sanctioned centres to return to the system under new guises.
“Some centres that were implicated in examination malpractice last year — not in Kwara State, though — have repackaged themselves this year, moving from one centre to another,” Oloyede disclosed.
CAC, NIN Collaboration to Block Blacklisted Operators
In a major enforcement upgrade, Oloyede said JAMB has strengthened collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to prevent directors of blacklisted CBT centres from resurfacing elsewhere.
“We have liaised with the CAC so that once you are a director of a failed CBT centre, you cannot resurrect anywhere in the country,” he said.
“We now have access to directors’ details, including their National Identification Numbers (NINs), to prevent abuse.”
He added that staff, proctors, and officials previously implicated in examination malpractice have also been permanently barred from participating in future JAMB examinations.
“All individuals involved have their NINs flagged. If they move elsewhere, they will destroy that centre because we will not approve it,” the registrar warned.
Delisted Computers Permanently Blocked
Oloyede further revealed that computers used in delisted centres have been permanently barred from the JAMB system, regardless of ownership changes.
“Once a computer set is found belonging to a centre we have delisted, it can never come back to our system, even if sold to another CBT centre,” he said.
He noted that JAMB had already detected a number of serious breaches during the accreditation exercise and had invited security agencies to investigate, stressing that such violations amount not only to breaches of JAMB regulations but also to criminal offences under Nigerian law.
Technical, Welfare Standards for Accreditation
Speaking on the accreditation requirements, the Chief Technical Adviser to the accreditation team in Kwara State, Prof. Veronica Mejabi, said CBT centres must satisfy both hard and soft criteria.
She explained that the most critical hard requirement is the deployment of a specified network topology that allows for rapid troubleshooting and system stability during examinations.
“Centres must also provide alternative power sources such as inverters and generators,” Mejabi said.
According to her, soft criteria include adequate holding areas for candidates, sufficient toilet facilities, and the installation of CCTV cameras for real-time monitoring of examination conduct.
Zero Tolerance for Malpractice
Also speaking during the exercise, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, who led one of the validation teams, issued a stern warning to candidates and operators alike.
“If you cheat, you will be caught, and when you are caught, that is the end,” he cautioned.
Integrity Drive Ahead of 2026 UTME
The large-scale accreditation exercise underscores JAMB’s determination to safeguard the credibility of the UTME amid persistent concerns over examination malpractice and technological manipulation.
Education stakeholders say the success of the 2026 UTME will depend largely on how rigorously JAMB enforces its new safeguards and how transparently it applies sanctions, especially as the number of candidates continues to rise annually.
Emma Tochi ✔
Godwin Okafor is the Publisher & CEO of Naija247news Media Group LLC, an independent investigative news platform delivering accurate, data-driven reporting on Nigerian and global politics, economy, finance, and business. Founded in October 2010, Naija247news specializes in developmental journalism, providing timely insights and analysis to readers across Nigeria and the diaspora.
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