Muslim female candidates sitting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at Esther Oshikoya Computer Based Test Centre in Ibadan were wrongly asked to remove their hijab during screening on Thursday, April 16, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed, attributing the conduct to an unauthorised action by an ad hoc staff member.
JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Fabian Benjamin, revealed that the board became aware of the development through its internal monitoring mechanisms during the first session of the examination and moved swiftly to address it.
The board clarified that the ad hoc official involved was immediately contacted and directed that no candidate dressed in accordance with her religious faith should be asked to remove or alter her attire at any point during the screening process.
Benjamin stressed that neither the CBT centre nor JAMB’s institutional framework sanctioned the action. “It was the action of an overzealous ad hoc staff member who failed to adhere to the Board’s established guidelines regarding candidates’ religious attire,” the statement read.
JAMB further reaffirmed its commitment to the religious rights of all candidates, noting that the incident had been resolved promptly and appropriately.
“We assure all candidates, regardless of faith, that their rights to religious expression, including dressing, remain a cornerstone of our policy,” Benjamin added.
The board also confirmed that all ad hoc personnel deployed across examination centres nationwide have since been rebriefed on the approved procedures governing candidate screening, to prevent a similar occurrence for the remainder of the UTME exercise.
The UTME serves as the primary entry examination into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, with thousands of candidates currently participating in this year’s edition across the country.
Last Updated on April 17, 2026 by Ola Funmilayo
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