The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a stern warning to newly established and upgraded tertiary institutions in the country to desist from illegal admission practices and adhere strictly to laid-down procedures.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, gave the warning during an interactive session held in Abuja on Monday with key officials of newly approved universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Prof. Oloyede emphasized that all admissions must be processed through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), highlighting the use of the ‘Marketplace’ feature to source eligible candidates.
“Any institution—whether public or private—that admits candidates illegally will face sanctions,” he said. “Some institutions may be unaware they are breaching the rules. This meeting is to guide them on how to achieve their objectives without violating the process.”
The Registrar further advised the institutions to embrace full digital compliance, invest in staff training, and avoid actions that could lead to unnecessary infractions.
He also raised concerns about the irregular academic calendars in some institutions, largely due to disruptions like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes.
“Some schools are still completing the 2021 academic session in 2023, or 2022 in 2024. We are now managing four overlapping sessions—something only possible through careful planning,” he said.
According to Oloyede, over 100 new institutions have joined Nigeria’s tertiary education system in recent times. These include 22 new universities, 15 upgraded federal colleges of education now offering both NCE and degree programmes, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education.
Also speaking at the session, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, encouraged the new institutions to familiarise themselves with the evolving admission processes.
He applauded JAMB for introducing modern technologies that make the process more transparent and inclusive, saying these innovations will help new institutions compete effectively with more established ones.
