The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned prospective candidates against the misuse of National Identification Numbers (NINs as preparations begin for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The warning was issued by the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during an interactive session with the Board’s management team held ahead of the commencement of sales and registration for the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) examinations. The details were contained in JAMB’s weekly bulletin published on Monday.
Prof. Oloyede stressed that practices such as multiple registrations, using more than one NIN, impersonation, or any form of identity manipulation would not be tolerated, warning that offenders would face stiff penalties.
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He further alerted candidates to other prohibited acts, including extortion, image manipulation, group registrations, unauthorised movement of routers, and biometric fraud. In particular, he warned against the practice of sharing or accepting fingerprints to speed up biometric capture, noting that such actions carry serious consequences.
According to the Registrar, candidates must ensure that only their own ten fingers are captured correctly and individually during biometric enrolment at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.
Reaffirming JAMB’s cashless registration policy, Prof. Oloyede said the system remains in place to protect candidates from exploitation. He explained that all third-party charges would continue to be centrally collected, with payments to service providers made on a weekly basis.
As part of efforts to strengthen transparency in the e-PIN vending process, JAMB has directed all administrators and cashiers of participating financial institutions—including banks, microfinance institutions and mobile money operators—to register their NINs with the Board.
The Registrar also outlined the approved fees and timelines for the 2026 examination cycle. He said the cost of Direct Entry application forms remains N5,700, while UTME registration without the mock exam is N7,200 and UTME with the mock option is N8,700.
He added that UTME candidates would register before Direct Entry applicants, as in previous years. The sale of UTME forms, beginning with profile creation, is scheduled to run from January 19 to February 26, 2026. Actual UTME registration will take place from January 26 to February 28, 2026, at accredited CBT centres, while the deadline for mock examination selection is February 16, 2026.
