UNILORIN, UNILAG Lead Top 10 First Choice Universities in Nigeria

The Joint Admission Matriculation Board has proclaimed the University of Ilorin and University of Lagos, Akoka as the first two Universities who had the highest numbers of being picked as first choice universities in Nigeria.

This was recorded in the 2021 policy document made available to newsmen and signed by JAMB registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.

UNILORIN came first and had 78,466 applications, UNILAG had 59,190, University of Benin, 49,763; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 47,239; Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, 45,920; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 44,509; Bayero University, 44,352; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, 43542; Obafemi Awolowo University, 42, 614 and University of Jos, 38,309.

The report further said the 2021 UTME cumulative performance statistics revealed that out of the total 1,312,992 applicants who wrote UTME in 2021, 168,613 scored 200 and above, 236,936 scored 190 above, 327,624 scored 180, 445,597 scored 170 above, 5995,015 scored 160 above, 772,463 scored 150 above, 964,098 scored 140 above and 1,134,854 scored 130 and above. It added that 66,811 scored below 120 and 1,245,449 scored 120 and above.

As part of efforts to make enquiries easy for applicants, JAMB said the candidates no longer needed to travel to JAMB offices to access certain services.

“The board uses the ‘ticketing system’ where a candidate or anybody desiring the board’s services can send their complaint(s). Responses are given within 24 hours. It has a tracking number that is issued once a ticket is raised. If not attended to, the number can be used as evidence to track the officer scheduled who would be sanctioned. The system is designed to eliminate any stress associated with accessing the board’s services,” .

The report also identified extortion of candidates by some centres during registration as a major challenge the board experienced.

Others were examination malpractice, impersonation and substitution of real candidates by paid examination takers fraudulent CBT owners who sabotage examination, parents encouraging examination malpractice.

It stated further, “Mass cheating by syndicates, prolonged investigation and prosecution, associated costs involving travels, allowances, attendance of court and legal fees and inadequate CBT centres in some parts of the country.”

As part of efforts to curtail these challenges, the board said it “plans to partner security operatives and relevant agencies on cybercrimes, engage the machineries and sponsoring them in order to tap from their knowledge, move some services to the registration portal in order to prevent extortion of candidates, dedicated courts for examination malpractice and open book examination to discourage cheating.”