The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for the immediate decentralization of the 2023 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) direct entry registration across Nigeria.
The Vice President External Affairs of NANS, Comrade Afeez Babatunde Akinteye, expressed concern over the new policy that only allows applicants to register in JAMB offices located in state capitals, calling it a “mockery of the century and timed catastrophe.”
Akinteye highlighted the dangers that this policy poses to applicants, given the level of insecurity and dilapidated roads across Nigeria. He also extended condolences to the family of Mahasin Idrees, a JAMB applicant who lost her life in a ghastly accident while returning from a direct entry registration exercise in Kaduna.
The NANS Vice President External Affairs further implored JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, to utilize ICT centers owned by public tertiary institutions and contract ‘A’ level result verification experts to mount these centers for swift running of the registration exercise to meet contemporary realities.
The call for the decentralization of JAMB direct entry registration is timely and necessary, considering the challenges faced by applicants who have to travel long distances to register.
It is high time the government and JAMB took proactive steps to ensure that the registration exercise is decentralized and made easily accessible to all applicants across Nigeria.
The use of ICT centers owned by public tertiary institutions will not only make registration easier but also reduce the risks and dangers associated with traveling long distances to register.
Contracting ‘A’ level result verification experts to mount these centers will also ensure that the registration exercise is done swiftly and meets contemporary realities.
