JAMB boss reaffirms commitment to rebuild trust, reduce trauma of candidates

Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Segun Aina, has reaffirmed his commitment to rebuilding candidates’ trust in the board and reducing the trauma associated with its examination and admission processes.

Aina said his administration was focused on removing operational bottlenecks that had kept many candidates at home and leveraging technology to improve service delivery.

He spoke in Abuja, when he received the Registrar of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN), Dr Oyeyinka Oyerinde, and his management team, at the board’s national headquarters in Bwari.

The CPN delegation visited JAMB to strengthen the existing relationship between the two organisations and explore ways to improve the board’s examination delivery system.

Aina, who assumed office on August 1, said JAMB and CPN had an established relationship that needed to be strengthened through technology and the resolution of outstanding challenges.

He urged the CPN delegation to bring forward any unresolved issues, assuring them of his readiness to address them promptly.

The JAMB registrar also expressed appreciation to CPN for supporting the board’s efforts to expand its server infrastructure for computer-based tests, particularly through the donation of a high-end server to strengthen their partnership.

Earlier, Oyerinde described JAMB as an institution that had benefited from visionary leadership, noting that examination bodies across Africa were studying its processes.

He said the visit provided an opportunity to meet Aina physically for the first time since his appointment, despite previous telephone conversations and correspondence between them.

Oyerinde acknowledged that some issues remained unresolved under the previous leadership but expressed optimism that Aina’s administration would provide an opportunity to address them and reposition the relationship between the two organisations.

He stressed that JAMB remained strategic to Nigeria’s developmental aspirations, adding that CPN was committed to supporting the board in strengthening its examination delivery system.

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In a separate engagement on the same day, Aina received a delegation from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), led by its Country Representative, Ambassador Roy-Stanley Nwafor, to discuss possible areas of collaboration.

Nwafor said the organisation used data-driven research and analysis, including the Global Peace Index, Global Terrorism Index and Positive Peace Index, to support policy development and promote peace.

He explained that the institute, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, maintained offices in several countries and worked with partners across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The IEP delegation proposed collaboration with JAMB in examination and admission administration, risk management, prevention of examination malpractice and the training of technical personnel to manage the board’s computer-based test centres.

Responding, Aina commended the institute for its initiative and agreed in principle with aspects of its proposals, particularly the need to improve the use of data in Nigeria’s education sector.

However, he expressed reservations about the feasibility of increasing JAMB’s fees, stressing that the board’s activities were governed by its statutory mandate.

He noted that the cost of application forms had remained unchanged for about a decade, apart from a downward review, adding that any proposed increase must be necessary and adequately justified.

According to him, his administration was committed to rebuilding public confidence, reducing candidates’ difficulties and delivering efficient services without imposing unjustified financial burdens on prospective students.

Aina also advised the IEP to extend its engagement to the National Universities Commission and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, as well as other regulatory and advisory bodies, to broaden the impact of its proposals and strengthen feedback across the education sector.