Dare Babalola
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has dismissed reports suggesting that the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has been postponed.
The examination body insisted that the examination will proceed as originally planned.
In a statement released on Saturday, the examination body described the widely circulated notice announcing a shift in the UTME timetable as false and misleading, urging candidates and the general public to ignore it.
The board stated, “Our attention has been drawn to a purported press release alleging that the 2026 UTME has been postponed. This information is entirely untrue and did not originate from the board. Candidates are advised to disregard it, as all arrangements remain unchanged.”
JAMB reaffirmed that the main UTME is scheduled to take place between April 16 and April 25, 2026, as earlier announced, with preparations continuing across the country.
The clarification comes shortly after the conduct of the 2026 mock UTME held on March 28, which recorded a number of technical issues at some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
According to the board, 224,597 candidates registered for the mock exercise, but only 152,586 were able to successfully complete the test across 989 centres.
Following the disruptions, JAMB disclosed that more than 20 CBT centres implicated in technical failures have been removed from its list of approved centres due to inadequate performance.
The board also raised concerns over fraudulent schemes targeting candidates, particularly on messaging platforms like WhatsApp, where some individuals falsely claim to offer score manipulation services.
Describing such acts as criminal, JAMB warned that any candidate found participating in examination malpractice or engaging with such fraudsters risks severe penalties, including cancellation of their registration or withholding of results.
Candidates have therefore been advised to rely solely on official communication channels for accurate updates regarding the UTME and to remain vigilant against misinformation.
