The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB has come out to say that a total of 1,434,632 candidates have so far registered for its ongoing 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME and Direct Entry.
JAMB insists that the closing date for the registration is still February 17 and candidates that are yet to register should do so before that day.
According to the board, licensed Computer-Based Test, CBT, centres should stop avoiding candidates that bought their ePINS elsewhere because it is contrary to the terms of their agreement.
Speaking via its Head of Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB added that the centres should not forget their primary assignment which is to register candidates and stop focusing on making profit.
His words, “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has sounded a note of warning to its licensed CBT centres which are acting contrary to the terms of their agreement by turning away candidates who had obtained their ePins elsewhere.
“This warning became necessary following a series of complaints received by the board that some centres are turning away candidates simply because they did not obtain their ePins from such centres.”
“The board is also in possession of credible reports regarding the activities of some of the centres vending ePINS and collecting the fee of the PINS along with the service charge for the registration (N4,700) thereby depriving the candidates the right to choose where to go for registration. Such candidates are, therefore, forced to register with such centres irrespective of their convenience. Such candidates are then tied down unnecessarily to the centres.
“The most ignoble of the fraudulent practice occurs when some centres dictate what a candidate should use as a password they keep to gain access to candidate’s data in order to perpetrate unwholesome acts.
“Some centres have even constituted themselves into a cartel collecting commission from other centres and some vending agents as protection money.
“Such a scenario was enacted in Kwara State, where an innocent agent of a sales outlet was falsely accused of selling ePINS above the stipulated price and was arrested by security agents who had to release him when investigation proved the contrary.
“The board is, therefore, concerned about these ignoble acts which are contrary to the terms of operations.
“All centres are hereby reminded of the nature of their assignment which goes beyond mere profit. The board is,by this publication, requesting all centres to comply with the rules of engagement in order not to attract any sanction.”