JAMB Rakes in N141m in Seven Days from UTME Cashless Registration

Kuni Tyessi

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has declared that it generated N141.2 million between November 20 and November 26, 2021 through electronic transactions and stated that it would adopt cashless policy for 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration.

The examination explained that the N141.2 million were from e-facilities/sales-N100,752,479, 2021; late registration- N30875438; consultancy services–N7,451,224 and PRC Service Charge-N2,167,865.00.

The Spokesperson of the JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said that with the adoption of the new system, JAMB would be collecting the approved N700 registration fee on behalf of the various Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres along with its UTME registration fees.

Benjamin said that money due to each registration centre would be remitted to relevant bank accounts on a weekly basis or any timeframe acceptable to the centre owners.

He said that JAMB’s decision to go cashless in the UTME registration exercise would put an end to some of the fraudulent activities of some CBT centres, who charged candidates above stipulated
fee.

“This laudable step was borne out of a painstaking review of the entire UTME registration process which has revealed some unethical and unacceptable practices by many Computer-Based Testing (CBT) centres.”

“It is to be noted that these centres are allowed to collect only N700 as registration charges but some fraudulent centre owners misused that opportunity to engage in conduct unbecoming of a respectable establishment as they indulge in massive extortion of candidates, among others, during the exercise.

“Consequently, the board has resolved to henceforth make the UTME registration process cashless to put a stop to such acts of extortion. This intervention will block all loopholes through which hapless candidates are extorted by unconscionable service providers.

“This process will not in any way increase the cost of UTME registration which remains as it was in the previous year. As such, it is only the process of payment that has changed not the cost.”

It would be recalled that in the previous years, candidates paid the sum of N700 at the centres. However, with the new policy, candidates will simply walk into any registration centre and register without paying anything as the fee hitherto payable to the centre had been paid along with the cost of obtaining the e-PINS.

JAMB, however, said it expended N88. 32 million in the same period on staff claims, agency service, supervision of third party examination, among others.