2020 UTME: JAMB suspends 47 centres as registration hits 2.1 million

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has suspended 47 computer-based test (CBT) centres across the country over various forms of infractions.

The board disclosed this in the latest edition of its weekly bulletin released on Monday.

The exam body also noted that the centres were suspended on grounds ranging from their “inability to produce JAMB vital security instruments entrusted to them and technical deficiency during third-party examination.”

Others include “extortion of candidates directly or through proxy and for one or more registration infractions.”

The exam body also disclosed that it has registered a total of 2.1 million candidates for this year’s exam.

“A total number of 1,949,983 registered for UTME, while 160,640 registered for Direct Entry,” it wrote in the bulletin.

This is coming after its February 17 deadline for prospective candidates to register for the exam. The recent figure is also an increase from its recently announced 1.9 million registered candidates.

The development makes it the first time JAMB would record such huge registration since 1978, with the highest being an estimated 1.8 million candidates in 2019.

This year’s examination is coming on the heels of several controversies that had earlier trailed requirements set by the board.

JAMB had in January suspended the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for registration of 2020 candidates following outrage over the difficulty associated with process.