The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began nationwide on Thursday, with more than 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.
Organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the examination will run from April 16 to April 22, with multiple sessions conducted daily.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has called on examination officials to uphold professionalism and show maximum commitment, emphasising that the overall success of the exercise depends largely on their performance.
He gave the directive during a virtual final briefing with technical officers ahead of the examination.
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Oloyede also commended staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in ensuring the success of the mock examination.
He noted that most of the challenges recorded during the mock exercise were due to inadequate evaluation of some centres by technical officials.
According to him, incentive packages will be introduced for teams that demonstrate outstanding performance, particularly in the timely handling of examination materials and submission of reports.
The registrar reaffirmed JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice, warning candidates to stay away from prohibited items in examination halls.
He added that the board has deployed advanced technology, including biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems, to safeguard the credibility of the examination.
Oloyede further disclosed that candidates whose biometric data cannot be verified will be rescheduled to take the examination at designated centres approved by the board.