The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB, yesterday, announced that it has registered over 1.5 million candidates for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The board gave the figure in the latest edition of its weekly bulletin, released yesterday. Data by the board showed that a total of 1,549,383 candidates have registered for the exam across the country.
A breakdown of the data showed that Abia State has the highest number so far with 16,804 registered candidates, followed by Adamawa with 15,119 candidates.
Zamfara State has the least figure with 4,656 registered candidates.JAMB had earlier said a total of 1.8 million candidates are expected to sit for this year’s exam.
The board recently extended the deadline for UTME registration to February 22. JAMB’s Spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, had said the development was to allow for more candidates to register for the exam.
He said: “The board, as a responsive and proactive agency, took cognisance of reports from across the country indicating difficulties being faced by many Nigerians in using their electronic channels to purchase the ePINs or obtain cash readily within the stipulated period.
“It has, as a consequence, granted this extension to ensure that candidates, who desire to register for the 2023 UTME, are given the opportunity to do so, especially when the challenges are not of their own making.”
