JAMB Cautions Against NIN Abuse As UTME Registration Begins

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has warned candidates against the inappropriate use of their National Identification Numbers (NIN) ahead of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration exercise.

The weekly bulletin released on the board’s website on Monday noted that the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, issued the warning during an interactive meeting with the Board’s management, held in preparation for the sale of application forms and registration for the 2026 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) exams.

“Multiple/double registrations coupled with the use of multiple National Identification Numbers (NINs) by a single candidate for the purpose of double registration, impersonation, or any form of identity manipulation is strictly prohibited and will be severely sanctioned,” Oloyede warned.

He further cautioned candidates against impersonation, extortion, image blending, group registration, inappropriate movement of routers, donating fingerprints, and other irregularities that undermine the integrity of the examination.

The Registrar specifically warned candidates against donating to or accepting fingers from others to accelerate biometric capturing, stating that such actions attract severe sanctions and consequences.

Oloyede further urged candidates to ensure that only their own ten fingers are captured individually and correctly at the CBT centre.

Reaffirming JAMB’s commitment to its cashless registration system, aimed at preventing exploitation of candidates, he explained that centralised collection of all third-party fees would continue, with remittances made to beneficiaries every week.

He also pointed out that in related developments, all administrators and tellers from partnering financial institutions, including banks, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators, have been mandated to register their NINs with JAMB to safeguard accountability in the e-PIN vending process.

Speaking on the timelines and costs for the exercise, the registrar explained that the cost of DE application documents remains N5,700; UTME without Mock is still N7,200; while UTME with Mock is N8,700.

He also noted UTME candidates would register first before Direct Entry candidates, while the sale of UTME application documents, commencing with the creation of profiles by prospective candidates, will start on 19th January and end on 26th February, 2026.

He added that the actual UTME registration period will run from January 26 to February 28, 2026 at all approved CBT centres, with the close of Mock Selection fixed for February 16, 2026.

Oloyede further noted that DE registration and e-PIN vending will begin on March 2, and close on April 25, 2026, while DE registration will be available only at JAMB offices.