The House of Representatives has advocated for the creation of at least one Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre in each of the country’s 774 local government areas to facilitate the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
This resolution was reached during the plenary session yesterday (15-5-25) following the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) acknowledgment of technical challenges experienced during the 2025 UTME.
Lawmakers believe that establishing these centres nationwide would help prevent a repeat of such issues in the future.
The House further urged the public to remain calm in light of JAMB’s confession regarding the shortcomings in this year’s examination.
Similarly, the Senate had previously considered a related proposal, suggesting that funds be allocated in the 2026 national budget to support the development of CBT centres across all local governments.
Senator Mohammed Dandutse, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, made this known while overseeing the 2025 UTME. He expressed concern over the lack of CBT facilities in certain regions.
Speaking on the situation, he said, “To ensure candidates across the country have equal opportunities when applying to tertiary institutions through the UTME, we must ensure that functional ICT centres are established in every local government area.”
Dandutse, who represents Katsina South Senatorial District, highlighted that only two out of the eleven local governments in his area currently have functioning ICT centres for the UTME.
He emphasized that since the UTME is entirely computer-based, it is essential to make testing facilities accessible nationwide.
To address this, both chambers of the National Assembly will collaborate to include necessary funding in the 2026 budget.
Meanwhile, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during an emotional press briefing in Abuja on the 1(4-5-25), revealed that some errors negatively impacted candidates’ results in this year’s UTME.
This development follows significant public criticism, with many raising concerns over suspected technical issues, abnormally low scores, and inconsistencies in the examination questions and answers.
Upon further review, JAMB confirmed that technical difficulties affected 157 of the 887 designated examination centres.
