2026 UTME: JAMB Begins Accreditation of 848 CBT Centres Nationwide

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has begun the nationwide accreditation of 848 Computer-Based Test centres for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The exercise, announced by JAMB and commenced on Monday, December 15, is part of the Board’s early preparations to ensure standardisation, security, and technical readiness ahead of the examination.

The accreditation comes amid sustained efforts by JAMB to curb examination malpractice, improve centre quality, and strengthen public confidence in the UTME process.

Backstory 

The 2025 UTME was marred by a series of technical glitches and irregularities that raised concerns about the integrity of the computer-based testing system.

JAMB publicly acknowledged significant technical errors in the 2025 UTME that affected nearly 380,000 candidates in 157 centres, mainly in the Lagos and South-East zones, prompting the board to order a resit for those affected

In addition to the technical failures, JAMB identified multiple cases of malpractice and fraud during the 2025 exercise. This included identity and biometric fraud, as well as 244 instances of candidates engaging in so-called “WhatsApp runs” to access leaked questions, with some centres allegedly colluding in these infractions.

The board removed four centres from the approved list of venues after identifying deficiencies in their facilities and operations, forcing candidates scheduled there to reprint their examination notification slips and sit elsewhere. The affected centres included Adventure Associate in Kano, Saadatu Rimi College of Education in Kano, and two centres under Penta M & F Technical Services Ltd. in Sokoto State.

What they are saying 

The Board disclosed that the accreditation process is being conducted simultaneously across different zones of the country and involves several stakeholders, including Chief External Examiners, Chief Technical Advisors, zonal directors, state coordinators, members of the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Zonal Information Technology Officers, State Information Technology Officers and other technical personnel.

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, thanked all participants for responding to the Board’s call to take part in the process. He urged the accreditation teams to approach the assignment with seriousness, diligence and a strong sense of responsibility, noting that their decisions would have long-term implications for the integrity of the UTME.

According to him, the task should be treated as a national duty, with strict attention paid to quality, as centres that do not meet the Board’s standards should not be accredited for the examination.

More details 

Providing further clarification, the Board’s IT Consultant, Mr. Damilola Bamiro, explained that the accreditation exercise was limited to centres that had successfully conducted the mandatory automated test deployed by JAMB to assess system readiness.

He noted that the outcome of the automated test determined which centres were eligible for physical inspection, adding that the exercise was strictly for centres that met the minimum technical requirements at the preliminary stage.

Bamiro outlined several technical areas that accreditation teams are required to assess during physical inspections.

Coverage areas of the CCTV system, which must be fully wired and use the HIKVision model with the recommended 16 channels.

Availability of verifiable holding rooms or halls located close to the examination hall.

Identification of 250 functional laptops for new centres seeking accreditation.

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Presence of spacious registration points with CCTV coverage.

Accessible network cabling to support biometric verification processes.

Use of a star topology network configuration, with all switches connected to a master switch to enable easier troubleshooting during examinations