By Felix Khanoba
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have entered into an agreement to crack down on Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and ePIN outlets that are charging above stipulated fee in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination’s (UTME) registration exercise.
The cost of ePIN is N3,500, cost of material is N500 and N700 serves as commission for CBT centre, bringing the total registration fee to N4,700.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, stated this during an interactive session with top echelon of NSCDC, representatives of bank and mobile money outlets as well as other stakeholders in Abuja on Tuesday.
Oloyede lamented that many people are making money illegitimately from the UTME registration process by charging prospective candidates above the stipulated fee amid the robust commission accruing to them.
His words: “Many people make illegitimate money from the examination and we will be destroying the nation, if we don’t get things right.
“Prior to 2018, we sell form for N5,000; but the Federal Government considers so many things and felt the money was much and in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari decided that the cost should be slashed; which brought the cost to N3,500.
“Also, prior to this time, there were unscrupulous people selling as high as N10,000. We now democratised the sale of the forms, to make it available so that it will not be possible for those selling to hoard the forms.
“The effect of the expansion is that some people are still penetrating the banks, thereby increasing the cost of the sale of form.”
Speaking further, at the event that also witnessed the parade of two elderly men arrested in Delta State by NSCDC for registering candidates for N5,500, Oloyede said the Board has already revoked 11 CBT centres for various infractions.
The JAMB boss, who expressed delight that NSCDC will now play a major role in ensuring that operator of centres that charging above the stipulated amount are promptly arrested, said the Board will made available security device to state commandants of the corps that will detect any reported case of infraction in CBT centres
On his part, the Commandant General of NSCDC, Abdullahi Mohammadu expressed the readiness of the corps to arrest and prosecute individuals that engage in unwholesome practices in the ongoing UTME and Direct Entry registration exercise.
The Commandant General, who went down the memory lane on the corps exploits in ensuring the successful conduct of various examinations in the country, assured JAMB of the desired support.
