Underage Candidates: JAMB To Limit Physical Interactions With Applicants

As part of measures to prevent extortion and enhance service delivery, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it has concluded arrangements to fully automate its services to reduce physical contact with candidates.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said this had become important “given that many of the candidates who take the UTME are underage.”

This was noted in a bulletin of the board sighted by our correspondent on its website on Monday.

The bulletin quoted JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, as explaining that limiting physical contact would address issues of extortion and exploitation.

“Prof. Oloyede stated that given that many of the candidates who take the UTME are underage, the board is considering limiting physical contact with those with challenges to avoid any alleged issues of extortion and other forms of exploitation. He stated that in due course, interactions would be limited to online ones with calls recorded for effective monitoring and quality control,” the statement read.

It noted that “the board had received a series of reports bordering on some unwholesome practices, adding that a team had been deployed to investigate the claims, promising to make the findings known to all.

“He urged students who had accused some JAMB officials and other operatives such as CBT centres of extortion in the name of ‘regularisation’ or other services to provide credible evidence, adding that any staff found culpable would face the full wrath of the law.”

Meanwhile, Prof. Oloyede commended the staff of the board for their honesty and diligence, saying, “In terms of honesty, I can vouch for over 99 percent of JAMB staff, but any bad eggs will be identified and dealt with appropriately.”

The PUNCH reported that in March, a businesswoman, Mrs. Ifeanyi Eke, filed a N100m suit against JAMB and three others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unsolicited and inappropriate text messages sent to her and her 15-year-old daughter. Joined as co-respondents in the suit are Island Computer College Limited, one Mr. Jibola, and Regina Bassey.

On January 29, JAMB announced the arrest of some registration officers of a Computer-Based Test Centre in connection with a social media outburst by a mother who alleged that her 15-year-old daughter was being approached by a staff of the supposed centre via a chat on the X platform.

The mother, in her originating summons filed through her lawyer, Olumide Babalola, asked the court for a declaration that the sending of unsolicited and inappropriate text messages to her daughter by Mr. Ajibola constituted an interference with her daughter’s right to private and family life guaranteed by Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.