The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has suspended the use the National Identity Management Commission to obtain the National Identification Number (NIN) for registration for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, announced this on Saturday in Abuja at a press briefing.
Oloyede said candidates can now go ahead to register for 2020 UTME while the use of NIN takes effect next year.
Prospective UTME candidates have been besieging the National Identify Management Commission ( NIMC )enrollment centres across the country to obtain NIN but in the process being exploited allegedly by NIMC staff.
NIMC, apparently disturbed by the hardship the students were going had on Friday on its Twitter handle declared Saturday (today) solely for the registration of JAMB candidates for NIN.
Oloyede said NIN was suspended as a prerequisite “based on some technical issues on ground.”
He added that “We came to a decision yesterday and decided that we will suspend the use of NIN as a prerequisite for the 2020 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) registration until 2021.
“By then, all candidates would have been given one year notice to register.
“This does not affect our permanent and adhoc staff who will participate in the exercise as they will require the NIN for verification.
“We have gone round and seen the passion and commitment of the candidates; the reality on ground is that what we expect is not attainable at the moment, so we shall not inflict more pain on candidates.”
Also speaking, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr Aliyu Azeez, said that the move was necessary as the commission was overwhelmed with the exercise within the short time given.
He said that NIMC had only 1,000 centres around the country for the exercise and would need up to 4,000 to conduct such exercise. He, however, stated that the partnership with JAMB would continue while advising parents and candidates for the 2021 exercise to use the opportunity to acquire the number within the stipulated time to avoid last minute rushes.
Azeez also said that by 2021, NIMC registration would be made available at JAMB Computer-Based Tests (CBT) centres nationwide, with operators on ground to capture candidates.