JAMB coordinator orders journalists barred from UTME venues

The much-awaited Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) commenced, yesterday, with JAMB’s Regional Coordinator, Sunday Aladegbaye, instructing CBT centre administrators not to allow journalists access to their centres.

When The Guardian visited Sweet Valley Centre at Governor Road, Igando, Lagos, where candidates were getting ready for the second batch of the examination, Aladegbaye, who stormed the centre few minutes later, questioned the presence of a journalist within the premises, stating that the media shouldn’t be allowed access farther than the school gate.

The situation triggered lamentations and blame game at the centre, as the security guard, who allowed our reporter access to the centre after proper introduction and identification, was almost crucified.

Aladegbaye, who was on call at that point, returned to the scene and said, “I have just contacted the headquarters and confirmed that journalists are not meant to come into the centres or the examination hall because they are not examiners and they are not accredited by the board. They are not supposed to exceed the gate.”

However, a candidate and a JAMB technical officer, who spoke with The Guardian at the centre, before Aladegbaye’s arrival, said the conduct was successful, except for minor technical issues, which were immediately resolved. “My mouse was inactive and was slowing me down, but it was later changed,” the candidate explained.

At Bafuto Computer Institute, Egbe, Ikotun, Lagos, the conduct was also successful, both the first and second batch. At the Institute of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Festac, the exercise was also successful.

Generally, The Guardian observed that aside few centres with technical hitches and generator breakdown, the conduct was hitch-free.