Senate wants NIN dropped as requirement for exam

Due to challenges encountered by applicants for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Senate has urged Federal Government to review the implementation of its policy that makes the National Identification Number (NIN) a prerequisite for the examination.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had insisted that the NIN is mandatory for the 2021 UTME.

Candidates have been complaining that the NIN requirement has added to their registration predicament. Many of them said they were being extorted, made to stay on long queues under the scorching sun and to indulge in some unwholesome practices to enable them to register.

After coming to terms with the challenges posed by the requirement, JAMB last week extended registration for UTME by two weeks.

In its intervention, the Senate asked the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB, and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to review the policy with a view to extending the UTME registration deadline until there is a seamless and well-organised process for obtaining the NIN.

The lawmakers also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and NIMC to introduce and streamline a simple and decentralised NIN registration process where students would be able to obtain it in their various accredited school premises.

The resolutions were made following the adoption of a motion by Ifeanyi Uba (YPP, Anambra).

Uche Lilian Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra), while supporting the motion, said there was inadequate awareness on NIN at the grassroots, secondary schools and universities, as many students still do not know that the national identification number is a requirement for exam registration.

The lawmaker, therefore, urged schools to ensure that NIN is not made compulsory for participation in any exam.