The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says the incident at the Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre, Ibadan where a candidate was asked to remove her hijab was not in line with its operations.
JAMB Spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin in a statement on Thursday said the Board promptly intervened by calling the ad hoc official involved to order and issuing immediate instructions that no candidate wearing a hijab should be asked to remove or alter it.
He disclosed that the Board, through its monitoring mechanisms, observed the occurrence during the screening exercise for the first session of the examination day on Thursday, 16th.
“The Board wishes to state clearly that this act was neither perpetrated by the centre nor part of its official protocol. Rather, it was the action of an overzealous ad hoc staff member who failed to adhere to the Board’s established guidelines regarding candidates’ religious attire”, he said.
The Spokesperson further stated that, “JAMB categorically affirms that such actions are not in line with its screening procedures. The Board respects the religious beliefs and customs of all Nigerians and has addressed the situation promptly and appropriately”.
The Board also assured to protect the religious rights of candidates:
“We assure all candidates, regardless of faith, that their rights to religious expression including dressing remain a cornerstone of our policy.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all ad hoc staff have been further briefed and reminded of the approved procedures for screening candidates at all centres”, they said.
