Posted on: 09:45 Wed, 09 Apr 2014
One million, six hundred and
six thousand, seven hundred
and fifty-three (1,606,753)
candidates will on Saturday
write the 2014 Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination
(UTME) across the country and
abroad.

The examination which will
end on the May 17 will take
place in three hundred and
ninety-two (392) examination
towns in Nigeria and seven (7)
foreign centres.

Registrar/Chief Executive of
Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board, (JAMB),
Prof. Dibu Ojerinde who
disclosed this on Tuesday
revealed that only 35 percent
out of the one million, seven
hundred and thirty-five
thousand, eight hundred and
ninety-two (1, 735, 892) who
sat for the 2013 UTME secured
admissions in Nigerian
universities.

Ojerinde blamed the poor
admission placement in the
universities on the
management of the
institutions whom he said
does not utilize the prescribed
carrying capacities of 50
percent.

According to him, “most
federal universities do not
admit up to their carrying
capacities. Government has
opened up accesses but
universities’ management
chooses not to utilize the
spaces in their institution. For
instance, some departments
may have space for 250
students, but the school may
admit only 180 thereby
denying admission to 70
students.

“I have spoken to most of
these institutions but if I am
pushed to the wall, I will not
hesitate to publish their names
in the national dailies,” he
threatened.

He said that this year’s
examination will be in three
modes: Computer Based Test
(CBT), Dual Based Test (DBT)
and Paper Pencil Test (PPT)
while insisting on 2015
deadline for PPT.

He said that the board has
concluded every arraignment
to ensure that only CBT exams
will be conducted all over the
country from 2015.

The foreign centers for the
2014 UTME include: Accra in
Ghana, Buea in Republic of
Cameroun, Cotonou in Republic
of Benin; London in United
Kingdom, Jeddah in Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia; Johannesburg
in Republic of South Africa and
Abidjan in Cote D’Voire.

Ojerinde said the figure in
2014 showed a decrease of
one hundred and twenty-nine
thousand, one hundred and
thirty-nine (129,139)
applicants when compared
with 2013 figure of one
million, seven hundred and
thirty-five thousand, eight
hundred and ninety-two (1,
735, 892).

The JAMB boss said the reason
behind the decrease in the
number of applicants was as a
result of the Boko Haram
onslaught in the north east of
the country adding that
examination will go on despite
the security condition.
He disclosed that a total of one
hundred and seventy-four
(174) visually impaired
candidates registered for this
year’s examination while one
hundred and ninety-six (196)
inmates registered for the
2013 UTME from both the
Kaduna and Lagos prisons.
Ojerinde stated that to create
more access to accommodate
more students, the
government has approved the
commencement of e-Learning
Degree Programme in the
country.
According to him “the
programme commences
lectures on Monday, 19th May
2014 in four universities
namely: University of Uyo,
Usman Dan-Fodio university,
Sokoto, University of Maiduguri
and National Open University
of Nigeria (NOUN)”.

He said Imo came first with
18,113 in the top ten highest
PPT applications by state
followed by Enugu and
Anambra with 56,873 and
53,946 respectively.

Ojerinde also disclosed that a
total of one thousand, eight
hundred and sixty five (1,865)
centres will be used for the
conduct of the PPT exams, one
hundred and thirty-three (133)
centres for DBT and about one
hundred and fifty-three (153)
centres for CBT.