The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to accredit 1,039 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ilorin during an ongoing nationwide accreditation tour of CBT centres.
Oloyede said 52 accreditation teams had been deployed across the federation to re-accredit existing centres and disqualify those that failed to meet the board’s standards. He stressed that accreditation is conducted annually and that centres approved in previous years are not guaranteed automatic clearance.
“The fact that you qualified last year does not mean you qualify this year,” he said.
According to the registrar, the exercise has been largely successful, though a few centres previously implicated in examination malpractice attempted to re-enter the system under different identities.
He said JAMB had strengthened collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to prevent owners of blacklisted centres from resurfacing.
“We now have access to directors’ details, including their National Identification Numbers. Once you are a director of a failed CBT centre, you cannot re-emerge anywhere in the country,” Oloyede stated.
He added that staff and proctors previously involved in examination malpractice had also been barred from participating in future examinations, with their NINs permanently flagged.
“All individuals involved are blocked. If they attempt to operate in another centre, that centre will not be approved,” he said.
Oloyede further disclosed that computers used by delisted centres had been permanently barred from JAMB’s system, even if sold or transferred to another operator.
He noted that a few cases of infractions had been detected during the exercise and that security agencies had been invited to investigate, as such actions also constitute criminal offences under Nigerian law.
Speaking on accreditation requirements, the Chief Technical Adviser to the Kwara State accreditation team, Prof. Veronica Mejabi, said CBT centres must meet both technical and operational standards.
She explained that key technical requirements include the use of approved network topology to enable quick troubleshooting during examinations, as well as reliable alternative power sources such as generators and inverters.
Mejabi added that centres must also provide adequate holding areas, functional toilet facilities and CCTV surveillance systems to ensure effective monitoring.
Also speaking during the exercise, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), who led one of the validation teams, warned candidates against engaging in examination malpractice.
“If you cheat, you will be caught, and once you are caught, that is the end,” he cautioned.
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