By Nworisa Michael
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced the nationwide accreditation of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The accreditation exercise, which began on Monday, December 15, 2025, is expected to cover about 848 CBT centres across the country. The move is part of JAMB’s early preparations to ensure a smooth, credible and hitch-free conduct of the 2026 UTME.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this during a virtual meeting with key officials of the Board, including zonal directors, state coordinators, technical advisers and representatives of the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria. He stressed that the accreditation process must be handled with diligence, transparency and strict compliance with established standards.
Professor Oloyede described the exercise as a national assignment, warning that any CBT centre that fails to meet JAMB’s requirements should not be approved. He also urged accreditation teams to pay close attention to security and technical details in order to safeguard the integrity of the examination.
The accreditation focuses on assessing the readiness of centres in areas such as infrastructure, power supply, security systems, network connectivity and the availability of functional computer systems required for UTME operations. Only centres that successfully pass the initial automated readiness tests will proceed to physical inspection.
JAMB noted that the process is aimed at eliminating substandard centres and ensuring that candidates sit for the examination in a secure and conducive environment.
As preparations continue, candidates and CBT operators have been advised to follow official announcements from the Board for updates on the 2026 UTME registration and examination schedule.