The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced measures to reduce candidates’ difficulties during registration and admission, including improved admission-status updates and easier changes to personal information.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Segun Aina, disclosed this on Wednesday during an interaction with Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates as part of the board’s 2026 Customer Week activities in Abuja.
Aina said the policy adjustments were aimed at building public trust, improving transparency and reducing the anxiety candidates experience while navigating the examination and admission process.
The registrar explained that candidates previously received vague admission notifications such as “not admitted” or “admission in progress”, leaving many uncertain about the status of their applications.
He said the improved system now provides more detailed information about admission progress, enabling candidates to better understand their status and reducing unnecessary anxiety.
Aina also disclosed that JAMB had leveraged technology to make it easier for candidates to update their telephone numbers and email addresses, particularly when they lost access to the contact details used during registration.
He said the changes were intended to eliminate unnecessary hardship while maintaining the security of candidates’ records and the integrity of the board’s operations.
On corrections to names and other personal information, the registrar said JAMB had strengthened its collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that candidates’ details aligned with official identity records.
According to him, improved technological capacity and cooperation between the two agencies had made it possible to accommodate legitimate changes while maintaining safeguards against identity manipulation.
Aina, however, warned candidates against exploiting the process to alter their identities fraudulently, stressing that anyone found engaging in such practices would face the full weight of the law.
He described the ongoing changes as a consolidation of previous reforms rather than a complete departure from established practices, commending his predecessors, particularly former registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for strengthening JAMB’s operations and adoption of technology.
On admission administration, Aina said the board’s responsibility extended beyond conducting the UTME to ensuring a fair and credible admission process.
He stressed that qualified candidates should not need personal connections or influential contacts to secure admission, insisting that JAMB would continue to moderate the relationship between candidates and tertiary institutions to ensure fairness and compliance with admission requirements.
The registrar also disclosed that JAMB had inaugurated a committee, headed by Professor Nwogu, a psychometrician, to examine the possible inclusion of critical thinking and life skills in its examinations.
He clarified that the proposal remained under consideration and that no final decision had been taken, adding that the committee would assess how such competencies could be measured reliably and whether their inclusion would improve educational outcomes.
Aina said any decision to introduce the proposed assessment would depend on the committee’s findings and management’s approval, with further input from experts on implementation.
He reiterated that JAMB would continue to refine its policies, strengthen institutional partnerships and deploy technology to make registration and admission less stressful while protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.
