The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially refuted claims that candidates who have already matriculated or are currently studying in Nigerian universities are barred from sitting the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The Board’s clarification comes in response to widespread misinformation circulating on social media and other unverified channels.
Speaking in Port Harcourt during a monitoring visit for the ongoing registration exercise, after attending the second matriculation ceremony of Wigwe University, JAMB Registrar, Professor Is‑haq Oloyode, described the reports as deliberate falsehoods being peddled by fraudsters.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there. It is completely untrue that candidates who have matriculated or are already in a university cannot take UTME,” Oloyode said. “Those spreading this falsehood are not JAMB officials.”
He disclosed that some individuals had gone as far as impersonating JAMB officials, holding press conferences, and presenting fake identity cards while purporting to speak on behalf of the Board. “One of the ringleaders behind this misinformation has already been arrested, including the individual who manufactured fake identity cards. They were even purporting to speak as the Registrar of JAMB,” Oloyode added.
Clarifying the Board’s position on undergraduates, Oloyode stressed that students who are already admitted into tertiary institutions retain the right to seek a change of course or institution. “A student who has matriculated has the right to decide to change his course or university, or even start afresh. What we insist on is disclosure. Our data must be accurate, but nobody can take away a candidate’s right to apply again,” he explained.
The Registrar highlighted that over 800,000 candidates were admitted in the previous admission cycle, with many seeking to change their academic paths. “If we are not careful, we could assume that 800,000 are already in school and then admit another one million without proper data reconciliation. That is why disclosure is important. They (undergraduates) can apply and write JAMB. What you cannot do is run two undergraduate programmes at the same time,” he said.
On the issue of examination malpractice, Oloyode noted that the trend was declining but not yet at an acceptable level. “Malpractice is not increasing; it is coming down. As candidates devise new methods, we are also deploying solutions to ensure they fail,” he said. He also admonished parents to encourage honesty among their children. “Parents must encourage their children to be honest. Some of these young people are only following the footsteps of their parents. Corruption must not be passed from one generation to another,” the Registrar warned.
Addressing concerns about JAMB’s preparedness, Oloyode acknowledged that challenges experienced in 2025 were due to lapses but stressed that the Board had taken corrective measures. “The incidents of 2025 were a matter of negligence—things that should have been done were not done. We have learnt our lessons. For instance, claims that albinos will not be registered this year are false. Those loopholes have been blocked,” he explained.
The Registrar confirmed that the Board currently operates about 984 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide, a number expected to increase to approximately 1,000. He reiterated that the 2026 UTME registration window would close on 28 February without extension.
In conclusion, JAMB urged candidates, parents, and the general public to rely exclusively on official Board communications and verified sources for accurate information. The Board emphasized that misinformation could disrupt the registration process and negatively affect candidates’ academic planning.
