2.2 Million Candidates to Participate in 2026 UTME Examination Across 966 Centres As Oloyede Launches High-Tech Facilities

(UTME Exam. Photo. by. Premuim Times)

The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) kicked off nationwide on Thursday, April 16, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate through April 22. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will administer the test in several sessions every day from April 16 to April 22.

Examination staff were tasked by JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede to exhibit the highest level of dedication and professionalism, emphasizing that their performance and commitment to duty are crucial to the UTME’s success.

During a virtual final briefing for technical personnel prior to the test, Oloyede took the lead.

He praised employees, ad hoc workers, service providers, and technical experts for helping to make the mock exam a success. According to him, most challenges recorded during the mock exercise were linked to inadequate assessment of centres by some technical officials.

Oloyede added that incentive packages would be provided for teams that demonstrate exceptional performance, including prompt handling of examination materials and timely submission of reports.

He reiterated JAMB’s zero-tolerance policy on examination malpractice and warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.

He claims that cutting-edge technology has been used to protect the exam’s integrity, such as biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems.

Additionally, the registrar said that candidates whose biometric information could not be confirmed would be rescheduled to take the test at locations that the board had allowed. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UTME remains one of Nigeria’s largest coordinated educational exercises, involving extensive logistics, technology deployment and personnel coordination nationwide.

There are four sessions on each exam day to reduce congestion at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres and enhance biometric verification processes. For the 2026 UTME, about 966 CBT centres are participating, each required to meet operational standards, including functional computer systems, stable connectivity and trained personnel.

The first session, which was supposed to start at 8:30 a.m, actually started at around 8:40 a.m., according to a NAN correspondent who observed one of the centers at Aduvie International School, Jahi.