A major expansion of examination infrastructure is underway at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, with plans to operate 1,000 centres nationwide for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, up from the fewer than 800 centres that served candidates in 2025.
The disclosure was made on Wednesday during a budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, where JAMB presented its ₦30.6 billion spending proposal for the 2026 fiscal year.
Muftau Bello, a director in the office of the JAMB registrar, appeared on behalf of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede to outline the board’s financial projections and operational plans. According to Bello, JAMB expects to generate ₦23.8 billion internally in 2026, with ₦6 billion set aside for remittance to the federation account as operating surplus.
He noted that the board recorded ₦18.5 billion in internally generated revenue in 2025 and remitted ₦4 billion to the federation account.
The increase in examination centres is intended to expand access, ease congestion, and improve the overall experience for candidates during registration and examination periods.
Muntari Dandutse, chairman of the committee and senator representing Katsina South, praised the board’s track record under Prof. Oloyede’s leadership. Senator Amos Yohanna, representing Adamawa North, however, called for a further reduction in the current ₦3,500 examination fee.
Bello clarified that the fee had been brought down from ₦5,000 by the current registrar. The committee is expected to review the proposal further before making recommendations on the budget’s approval.
Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by Ola Funmilayo
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