Regina Otokpa 
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has promised to reward anyone who provides proof that candidates were posted outside the towns they selected during registration for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Board asked that such evidence be sent within the next 96 hours to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) WhatsApp number: 08056003030.
In a statement issued on Saturday, JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, accused some candidates and secondary school proprietors of misleading parents and spreading falsehoods that JAMB assigns candidates to examination centres outside their chosen towns.
He said: “Let it be unequivocally clear: at the time of registration, candidates have the right to select their preferred examination town. JAMB subsequently assigns them to a centre within that chosen town.
“The baseless assertion that candidates are placed in towns different from their selections is erroneous, malicious, and aimed solely at tarnishing the Board’s reputation. It never happens.
“JAMB acknowledges the importance of convenience for candidates, ensuring they sit for their examinations in locations of their choice among available CBT centres.
“Every candidate has the prerogative to choose their examination town, while JAMB only assigns the candidate within the chosen town.”
The Board challenged the ongoing narrative, offering a substantial financial reward to anyone who can provide verifiable proof of just one candidate being posted outside their chosen examination town.
“For transparency and fairness, such proof should be sent within the next 96 hours to the FCCPC WhatsApp Number; 08056003030, allowing the commission to ensure the reward is delivered or the Board is exonerated from this recurring campaign of calumny,” Benjamin stated.
He further added that just as airlines require passengers to arrive two hours before departure, it is reasonable for candidates to arrive 90 minutes before the commencement of their exams for preliminary verification.
“Many parents who expect candidates to spend no more than two hours for a two-hour examination are apparently oblivious of the required preliminary processes,” he said.
Benjamin urged the public to trust public agencies that are committed to serving the public good, assuring that JAMB remains dedicated to transparency and fairness.
On a lighter note, he narrated how a female UTME candidate refused to attempt any questions during her exam because her grandfather had instructed her to wait for miraculous intervention.
“Of course, such miracles do not happen with JAMB,” he said.
He advised candidates against relying on superstitions and encouraged them to put in the necessary effort to succeed.
