The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says about 2.2 million candidates will participate in the 2026 unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) across 966 computer-based test (CBT) centres nationwide.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the board said the number of centres followed the deletion of 23 CBT centres that experienced technical glitches during the mock UTME conducted in March.
The board noted that it has finalised all arrangements for the 2026 UTME scheduled to hold between April 16 and April 22.
According to the examination body, candidates are expected to have printed their examination slips, which contain vital information such as the examination date, time, venue and other details required for seamless accreditation and biometric verification.
The board added that special arrangements have been made for candidates with disabilities (PWDs) through the JAMB equal opportunity group (JEOG), led by Peter Okebukola, a former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
JAMB warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls, stressing that offenders would face sanctions in line with existing examination malpractice laws.
The board also stated that adequate provisions have been made to support candidates facing other challenges, while technology has been deployed to protect the integrity of the examination process.
‘800 OFFICIALS BRIEFED AHEAD OF UTME’
As part of preparations for the exercise, JAMB said it conducted a virtual briefing for over 800 examination officials, including technical officers, state technical advisers and chief technical advisers.
During the session, Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, urged officials to demonstrate dedication and professionalism, noting that the success of the UTME depends largely on their performance.
Oloyede said many challenges recorded in previous examinations were linked to inadequate assessment of centres by technical personnel.
He disclosed that 11 technical officers have been delisted from the 2026 exercise over poor performance, adding that further disciplinary measures may follow pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.
The registrar also announced that incentives would be provided to officials who demonstrate exceptional performance, particularly in areas such as timely upload and download of examination materials, proper documentation and prompt submission of reports.
Oloyede further revealed that advanced technology has been deployed to curb examination malpractice and maintain the credibility of the UTME process.
He also noted that candidates flagged as unverified would be collated and rescheduled to sit their examinations at designated centres.
