JAMB Urges Candidates to Challenge Unfair Admissions as 2026 Tertiary Placement Process Begins

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has urged candidates and their parents to formally challenge any suspected injustice during Nigeria’s tertiary institution admission process as the 2026 admission cycle begins nationwide.

The call was made by the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during an appearance on the Nigerian Television Authority’s programme Good Morning Nigeria, where he addressed long-standing concerns about fairness and transparency in the country’s admission system.

According to Oloyede, candidates who believe they have been unfairly denied admission despite meeting the required academic criteria should not remain silent but should take advantage of official channels provided by the Board to contest such decisions. The registrar noted that the current system allows candidates to track and verify admission decisions, thereby reducing opportunities for manipulation.

He emphasized that reforms introduced by JAMB over the years have significantly strengthened merit-based admissions while limiting human interference in the process. The Board’s Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), he explained, plays a central role in ensuring transparency by enabling candidates to monitor their admission status in real time.

Oloyede also criticized what he described as a persistent belief among some parents and stakeholders that gaining admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions requires personal connections or unofficial influence. According to him, such assumptions undermine public confidence in a system that has undergone extensive reforms aimed at fairness and accountability.

“There is a mindset that unless you know someone or manipulate the system, you cannot gain admission. That era is gone,” he stated, insisting that the digital admission platform makes it increasingly difficult for deserving candidates to be excluded without traceable justification.

The development comes as preparations intensify for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the subsequent admission processes across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education in Nigeria. The UTME remains the primary gateway for admission into higher institutions in the country.

Education observers say JAMB’s latest directive signals a renewed effort to strengthen public trust in the admission system and encourage greater transparency across tertiary institutions. They also believe the move could empower candidates to hold institutions accountable where admission decisions appear inconsistent with established guidelines.

As the 2026 admission season gathers momentum, prospective students have been advised to regularly monitor their admission status on the official JAMB portal and promptly report any irregularities through the appropriate complaint channels.