JAMB: Mock UTME to hold Saturday April 29

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has fixed Saturday 29th (this weekend), for the conduct of its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) mock examination in some selected centres across the country.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede made the announcement during a workshop to train its officials for the coming UTME examination in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the mock examination would take place in 633 computer based test (CBT) centres across the country.

Prof. Oloyede said: “We have identified those technical hitches and quickly made necessary correction and tighten loose nuts. As a matter of fact, a trial mock was conducted last week in 10 states and the exercise was 99 percent successful

“All we are trying to do is to do things the best way that will not be wasteful, that will not make Nigeria inferior in the community of examination bodies. What we are trying to do is find the most efficient way of conducting our examination.

“I believe whatever can work in another place can work in Nigeria. For us, what we are trying to do is to give the best of our services to this great nation of ours. I need not be the registrar of JAMB if there will be no change positively.

“We believe that come next Saturday (this Saturday), we will do our best. What we have done now is that last Monday we conducted a preliminary mock in ten places across the country and it was 99 percent success.

“We conducted it in Sokoto, Abuja, Lagos, Ilorin, Nasarawa, Lokoja and we tested the technology again it was working but it worked because of the cooperation of all.

“I don’t expect full perfection from all the system. There would be saboteurs that might work against us and that was why we have plans A, B and C, in addition to several other backups in case any of our plan fails. At the end of the day, it would be said of me that I have done my best.”

The JAMB boss alleged that powerful forces was working hard to derail the smooth conduct of the examination nationwide, vowing that JAMB would not return to status quo.

“People are head bent on creating problems where none exist. I believe their toes are very big and I don’t mind stepping on them. Believe that at the end of the day Nigerians will know the truth and who to appreciate and who to condemn.

“So I expect all other stakeholders involved in the system not to sabotage the efforts of the board but reciprocate such gesture and goodwill so that we could give Nigerians the best of services they deserve,” he said.