•Says conduct of exams in Nigeria has become war THE Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde, has faulted calls for cancellation of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), saying this will not be in the interest of the candidates, parents and government. He said the protest in Lagos, a few days ago allegedly by UTME candidates demanding for cancellation of the results of the examination was sponsored to discredit the good work the Board is doing in the efforts to strengthen the quality of tertiary education in the country. Ojerinde, who briefed newmen on Friday, in Abuja, on the conduct of the 2016 UTME, said conduct of public examination in Nigeria has become a war. He disclosed that the organiser of the protest who incidentally was an owner of a centre designated for the examination was aggrieved because he was not allowed by the JAMB officials at the centre to perpetrate examination malpractice. Ojerinde explained how a JAMB official at the Lagos Centre was threatened after rejecting N6 million bribe offer, saying this prompted the relocation of the candidates at the centre to Moro in Osun State. Over 1,592,44 candidates registered for the 2016 UTME nationwide and in seven foreign countries. He added that the owner of the centre, in the effort to justify money he collected illegally from parents and candidates organised the protest in Lagos. It was also gathered that a lady who was arrested at the centre for impersonation, confessed that she and others were paid N25,000 each to do the job. Ojerinde said the actual candidates that sat for the examination was 1,546,633 representing 97.12 per cent, while a total of 23,577 candidates absented from the examination representing 1.48 per cent of the total number candidates that registered for 2016 UTME. He disclosed that a total of 145,704 representing 9.1 per cent of candidates had the issue of multiple results, which the Board has tried to sort out. The JAMB Registrar, further disclosed that results of Uromi approved UTME Centre in Edo State, were being withheld as a result of massive irregularities and invasion of the centre by armed hoodlums. A JAMB official in charge of the centre was said to have rejected an offer of N1 million “corporation fee” (bribe), allegedly by the owner of the centre in collaboration with some parents and candidates to allow them perpetrate examination malpractices. He disclosed that the armed invaders were over 20 persons, adding that timely intervention of the military saved the day and that the candidates for the centre were relocated to Auchi, where the remaining examinations were held with the supervision of soldiers. Ojerinde, however, admitted that there were some challenges in the first and second days of the examination leading to relocation of a total of 59,000 candidates to new centres and 16 States of the Federation. He promised that special arrangement would be made for those who were genuinely affected by the relocation to sit for the examination at a rescheduled date to be announced to them.]]>