A week after the start of the sale of forms for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), prospective applicants have expressed frustration over the challenges they face in their efforts to link their mobile telephone lines with their National Identification Number (NIN) or ‘incorrect information contained in your NIN data.
UTME is an entrance examination for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria: universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and monotechnics. It is conducted annually by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
JAMB has required candidates wishing to participate in the exam to use their NIN for the application process. It is part of the examining body’s measures to counteract bad practices such as identity theft.
But following mounting complaints from applicants, their parents or guardians, JAMB said it has already scheduled a meeting with leaders of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the body in charge of NIN.
Challenges
Since the sale of forms began on Monday, January 15, many applicants and their parents and guardians have expressed dissatisfaction with the challenges posed in their efforts to generate their electronic pins for registration.
Abiodun Omole, guardian of an applicant, said his nephew was unable to generate the required profile code for registration “even after following the set instructions and repeating the process many times.”
He said the message he kept getting was “No record found. Send an email with NIN and name to nimc-jamb2023@nimc.gov.ng. Then try again in 4 hours.”
“I have sent the email more than five times without any response from NIMC. This is disappointing and frustrating,” she stated.
Similarly, Musefiu Alabi, said the information provided by NIMC about his daughter differs from that provided at the registration point.
“The local government area of your home state provided during your NIN registration is quite different from what we find at the time of registration. For my son, the date of birth is the 25th but we saw the 23rd. We are aware that changing this requires up to 15,000 naira and takes time to take effect,” Alabi said.
He narrated the frustration of many other applicants at a registration center in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, saying; “These children should not face this type of crisis because they are seeking admission into tertiary institutions. “Things should have gotten better than this disaster we are facing now.”
PREMIUM TIMES findings revealed that there are many other challenges with NIN that require data updates or corrections, but many applicants went ahead with their registration on the JAMB portal because their parents and guardians said they could not afford additional costs for such services.
“Is it time for correction or money involved? The money needed to correct data with NIMC can be used to obtain two UTME forms. It’s not crazy? “Not only are we serious in this country,” another father who did not want to be quoted told this newspaper.
JAMB promises intervention
JAMB has said it is aware of the challenges faced by applicants, especially in relation to verifying and linking their NIN, and promised swift intervention.
The examination body’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabián Benjamín, said JAMB is surprised by the volume of complaints and that a meeting has been scheduled between the leaders of both organisations.
“Both JAMB and NIMC will meet on Monday (today) to address concerns and I can assure you that these issues will be addressed,” Benjamin said.
However, it advised applicants who notice incorrect details in their NIN records to suspend their UTME registration until NIMC updates and corrects the information.
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the NIMC on the development were fruitless as calls to the phone line of the Head of its Public Communications Unit, Kayode Adegoke, were not answered.