*Blacklists Six Officials for Exam Fraud
From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has criticised parents who push their children into tertiary education too early.
Referring to them as “selfish” for using their children’s academic achievements to boost their own social status, he expressed concern over the rising number of underage applicants.
Oloyede, lamented in Ilorin, Kwara state on Monday, while monitoring registration at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in the state capital.
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According to him, despite setting a target of two million candidates, 4,997 candidates below 16 years had already registered within just five days.
He revealed that JAMB, has so far registered 420,674 candidates for the 2025/2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with 32,435 applicants recorded in Kwara State alone.
He also disclosed that 124,632 candidates had signed up for the mock UTME, while 331 had registered for trial testing.
“You can see how we are deceiving ourselves in this country. In the past, we had about 300 underage registrants, but now, within just five days, we already have nearly 5,000. Many of these parents are misdirecting their children, treating their early education as a trophy,” he said.
Oloyede clarified that underage candidates are required to sign an indemnity form, committing to meet academic expectations or face consequences if they fail to justify their claimed intelligence.
He also disclosed that six individuals engaged by JAMB from various institutions had been blacklisted for life due to involvement in examination malpractice.
He disclosed that the board has their full details, and one senior university official is currently facing prosecution for exam-related offenses, with several others under investigation.
Additionally, 10 institutions were caught registering candidates at night in violation of JAMB’s guidelines.
Despite these concerns, Oloyede expressed satisfaction with the overall registration process, commending CBT centres, JAMB staff, and security agencies for maintaining high standards.
“Going round, I am very proud of those on the field—CBT centres, my staff, and everyone involved. The process is far better now. People know we won’t compromise on standards, and they have done very well. We also appreciate the security agencies for their tremendous support,” he said.
