The new registrar of JAMB, Prof. Segun Aina, aims to build on previous reforms to transform the examination body. Aina's vision is to create a technology-driven, candidate-centred admissions system. Nigeria's tertiary admissions process currently causes anxiety and financial burden for millions of young people annually. JAMB has made significant progress in the past decade, and Aina's reforms aim to make the process more transparent, accountable, secure, compassionate, and predictable.
JAMB has come a long way from allegations of financial opacity and administrative inefficiency. Previous reforms by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, including fiscal discipline, computer-based testing, and biometric verification, have improved public confidence in the agency. Aina's strategic blueprint, "JAMB 2031: Building Trust, Reducing Trauma," outlines a five-year reform agenda to make admissions more transparent and candidate-friendly. The plan aims to reduce the emotional and financial burden on candidates and their parents.
Aina's vision includes a fully paperless administration, a unified mobile application, and a centralized customer service platform. This digital transformation offers a new relationship between young citizens and a public institution that affects their lives annually. However, care must be taken to ensure that the digital transformation achieves its objectives and does not become cumbersome or confusing for candidates.
The increasing sophistication of examination malpractice justifies JAMB's commitment to strengthening technology. Over 4,200 cases of fingerprint manipulation and 190 instances of artificial intelligence-assisted impersonation were uncovered in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. JAMB must continuously innovate and upgrade to stay ahead of would-be fraudsters and maintain public confidence.
Aina's proposal for an independent review of JAMB's technology infrastructure and the pursuit of ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Certification aims to reassure the public that sensitive data can be managed according to globally accepted practices. JAMB must also prioritize greater openness about its operations, publishing audit summaries and performance reports to earn credibility.
JAMB's reforms must consider Nigeria's digital divide and aim to narrow inequalities that have left many candidates at a disadvantage. The paperless initiative should not create new forms of exclusion, and mobile applications should be engineered to accommodate various devices and consume minimal data. Stakeholders in the admissions ecosystem, such as universities and colleges, must also embrace reforms to eliminate frustrations in tertiary admissions.
The success of JAMB's reforms will depend on its ability to simplify complications, improve communication, and reduce unnecessary human discretion. With Aina's vision, JAMB can become Africa's most trusted and innovative admissions institution, strengthening public confidence in merit and restoring faith in public administration. The reforms will require accountability and a commitment to transparency.
Key points
- JAMB aims to make admissions more transparent, technology-driven, and candidate-friendly through its reforms.
- The reforms prioritize reducing the emotional and financial burden on candidates and their parents.
- JAMB's success will depend on its ability to stay ahead of would-be fraudsters and maintain public confidence.
