The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has begun the biometric verification of the 1.8 candidates who sat for this year’s unified tertiary matriculation examination, it was learnt yesterday.
It was further learnt that the exercise embarked upon by the board, was responsible for the delay in releasing the UTME results conducted from April 11 to April 18.
The board has already carried out biometric verification of candidates in 31 states.
It is presently verifying those of candidates from six other states, The Nation further learnt.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, confirmed this to our reporter in an interview, yesterday in Abuja.
He said the board was cross-checking everything pertaining to the conduct of the examination, including fingerprints of candidates.
Prof. Oloyede, who did not list the states the board has so far verified the fingerprints of candidates, said: “We are cross-checking everything, including fingers. If you know that you have about 1.8 candidates multiplied by ten that is the finger we are talking about.
“If you are very close to National Identity Card Management Commission (NIMC), ask them what it takes to analyse finger prints in terms of period.
“We are combining 1.8 million ten fingers with one another to be sure that we identify people who combine fingers and so on. That is where we are now.
“We have done all other and now we have about six states to go. As I speak with you I am at a retreat with those who are doing it. We have about six states to go. We have done 31 states and six states are still not completed now.”
Asked when the board would release the result of the UTME, the registrar said: “I don’t know but it will be very soon. As soon as we complete what we are doing.”
The registrar denied reports that the board may cancel half of the results of states found to have been involved in malpractice during the examination.
When asked which state was affected most by malpractice this year, he said: “I don’t know. I cannot say which state because I don’t know. It is not just issue of malpractice.”
Oloyede said there was nothing wrong with the board’s server, adding that the board was cleaning up the rot in the education system.
He said: “There is no problem at all but everything must be done thoroughly and that is what we are doing. There is no problem. All the rumour about problem is a lie and I would not tell a whole nation what is not true. I can’t put my integrity on line. There is no problem at all.
“We are doing what we set to do and it is a scientific thing and there is no way I can expedite it beyond this. I t is taking human and material resources but we must do it. Somebody must standup against this rot. That’s all.”
Oloyede also said the board would probe alleged involvement of some of its staff who connived with some computer based test centre operators to perpetrate malpractice during the examination.
The registrar said: “Where staff members are identified to have been involved, if there are reported cases, we will investigate. There are one or two cases that are very obvious and we are taking action because as we appoint our staff and other ad-hoc, we appointed some eminent Nigerians to monitor the monitors and we have analysed their reports.
“Where an ad hoc or permanent staff is alleged to have done what he or she is not supposed to do we will take the normal process and procedure.”
The Board, has repeatedly said that it would take its time to screen the results because of the several infractions dicovered during the exercise.
