The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has dismissed rumours suggesting it posts candidates to examination centres outside the towns they selected.
In a statement issued on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Abuja, JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, clarified that candidates are always assigned to centres within their chosen towns, depending on available computer-based test facilities.
Benjamin emphasised that the Board prioritises candidates’ convenience, ensuring their examination locations align with their selected preferences.
He stressed that candidates retain the right to choose their examination towns, and JAMB strictly adheres to those choices when assigning centres.
“It is our firm belief that some parents are continually being deceived, misled, and defrauded by their wards and some secondary school proprietors who perpetuate this falsehood.
“Let it be unequivocally clear: at the time of registration, candidates have the right to select their preferred examination town. JAMB subsequently assigns them to a centre within that town.
“The baseless claim that candidates are posted to different towns is erroneous, malicious, and aimed solely at tarnishing the Board’s reputation. It does not happen.
“The Board, therefore, challenges this false narrative by offering a handsome financial reward to anyone who can provide authentic proof of even one candidate who has been posted outside their chosen town,” Benjamin said.
He hinted that, to ensure transparency and impartiality, such proof should, within the next 96 hours, be sent to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission via WhatsApp on 08056003030.
According to him, this process will allow an independent body to verify the evidence, deliver the reward if appropriate, or exonerate the Board from the persistent campaign of misinformation.
Benjamin also compared the situation to airlines requiring travellers to arrive early, noting, “Anyone who finds no fault in airlines requesting passengers to arrive two hours before departure should equally accept the need for candidates to arrive 90 minutes before examinations for preliminary verification.”
He appealed to the public to give government agencies the benefit of the doubt and trust that they exist to serve the public interest.
On a lighter note, Benjamin recounted the case of a female UTME candidate who refused to answer questions during her examination because her grandfather had told her to wait for miraculous intervention.
He urged candidates to abandon superstitions and embrace hard work, stressing that success comes from preparation, not wishful thinking.
