JAMB Reacts Fiercely to UTME Venue & Time Controversies — Issues Bold Challenge to Critics!

On Saturday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) called allegations that it was sending applicants to UTME testing locations outside of their selected localities untrue.

“The unfounded allegation that applicants are assigned to towns other than the ones they choose is false, nefarious, and intended only to damage the Board’s standing. It doesn’t occur.

In a statement released to reporters in Abuja on Saturday, the Board’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, stated, “The Board therefore challenges this false yet popular narrative by offering a handsome financial reward to anyone who can provide authentic proof of even one candidate who has been posted outside their chosen town.”

Benjamin went on to say that such documentation should be given to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) WhatsApp number, 08056003030, within the next 96 hours in order to maintain transparency and prevent “being a judge in one’s own case.”

He claims that this procedure will guarantee that an impartial entity can verify the proof, offer the award if suitable, or permanently clear the Board from the ongoing campaign of slander.

Benjamin maintained that JAMB understands the value of candidates’ convenience and makes sure they take their tests in the CBT centers of their choosing.

He asserts that each candidate is free to select the town where they would take the exam, and JAMB places them in a center there.
We firmly believe that some secondary school owners who spread this myth are also defrauding, misleading, and deceiving some parents on a regular basis.

“Let’s be clear: candidates are free to choose the examination town of their choice at the time of registration. They are then assigned by JAMB to a center in the chosen town.

“Anyone who finds no fault with airlines requesting that passengers arrive at the airport two hours prior to departure should equally find no fault with encouraging candidates to arrive at CBT centers 90 minutes prior to the commencement of examinations for preliminary verification,” he said, defending the timing of the UTME exams.
“It is clear that many parents are not aware of the necessary preliminary procedures, as they expect candidates to spend no more than two hours for a two-hour examination,” he continued.

Benjamin urged the public to believe that agencies are there to serve the public interest as best they can and to give them the benefit of the doubt.

He stated that JAMB is always dedicated to the public interest.
On a more humorous side, a female UTME candidate who declined to take any questions during her exam this morning provided yet another illustration of gullibility. He clarified, “This was because she was following her grandfather’s advice to do nothing and wait for divine intervention.”

He cautioned candidates against having irrational and superstitious hopes of reaping where they haven’t sown.