The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) commenced across Nigeria on Thursday, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate at accredited centres nationwide.
The examination, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), is scheduled to run from April 16 to April 22, with multiple sessions held daily.
JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to demonstrate a high level of commitment and professionalism, noting that the success of the UTME depends largely on their performance.
Oloyede gave the directive during a virtual final briefing with technical officers ahead of the examination. He also commended staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock examination.
According to him, most of the challenges recorded during the mock exercise were due to inadequate assessment of centres by some technical officials.
He added that incentive packages would be introduced for teams that show exceptional performance, including prompt handling of examination materials and timely submission of reports.
Reaffirming JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice, the registrar warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls. He disclosed that advanced technology, including biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems, has been deployed to ensure the integrity of the examination process.
Oloyede further stated that candidates whose biometric details fail verification would be rescheduled to sit for the examination at designated centres approved by the board.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UTME remains one of the country’s largest coordinated educational exercises, involving extensive logistics, technological deployment, and personnel management nationwide.
Each examination day is divided into four sessions to reduce congestion at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and improve the efficiency of biometric verification.
For the 2026 UTME, about 966 CBT centres have been accredited, all required to meet operational standards such as functional computer systems, stable internet connectivity, and trained personnel.
Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent who monitored activities at Aduvie International School, Jahi, Abuja, reported that the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. commenced at approximately 8:40 a.m.
