The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has withdrawn the special registration concession previously granted to candidates with albinism as registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination commenced on Monday, citing widespread abuse of the privilege for examination malpractice.

The decision was announced at a weekend meeting in Ikeja, Lagos, where JAMB management, led by its Registrar, Professor Isaq Oloyede, met with commissioners for education from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to review past examinations and outline measures for the new exercise.

Oloyede disclosed that the concession was scrapped after investigations revealed that some candidates exploited the provision by using artificial intelligence and other means to falsely claim albinism during registration. He noted that more than 7,000 candidates identified themselves as albinos in the previous year alone, a figure the Board found implausible.

The JAMB Registrar also cautioned faith-based tertiary institutions against concealing their religious identity during the admission process. He said institutions that present themselves as secular to attract applicants, only to impose religious doctrines after admission, were acting deceptively. According to him, the law permits the establishment of faith-based schools, but such institutions must clearly declare their status from the outset to enable candidates make informed choices.

Addressing concerns over undergraduates who sit for UTME while already enrolled in higher institutions, Oloyede warned that candidates who fail to disclose their status risk losing both their new admission prospects and their current placements. He revealed that last year’s highest UTME scorer was discovered to be a 300-level university student, a development that prompted deeper scrutiny. While some undergraduates rewrite the examination to change courses, he said others do so to fraudulently secure admission for third parties.

On admission policy, Oloyede restated that federal institutions allocate 45 per cent of slots on merit, 20 per cent to catchment areas, 20 per cent to educationally disadvantaged states, with the remainder distributed at institutional discretion. He encouraged state-owned universities to reserve at least 10 per cent of admissions strictly on merit to promote diversity and academic excellence.

The meeting also revisited the contentious issue of underage admissions. Oloyede said 16 remains the official minimum admission age, adding that candidates below this threshold must score at least 80 per cent in both UTME and post-UTME screenings to qualify. He revealed that out of about 42,000 candidates who claimed to be underage last year, only 78 met the criteria and gained admission. While participants were divided on how to engage such candidates during a mandatory gap year, a majority voted for JAMB to continue its special assessment process.

As part of strengthened anti-malpractice measures, the Board has banned the movement of computers between CBT centres, insisting that systems registered to a centre must remain there permanently. Oloyede said the practice of borrowing computers to gain accreditation had undermined the integrity of the process.

He further clarified that candidates would only be posted to examination towns selected during registration, noting that all personal details are drawn directly from the National Identification Number database without alteration.

Providing an update on the previous UTME, Oloyede disclosed that 974,855 candidates had so far secured admission out of approximately 1.95 million who sat for the examination. He added that over N2.4 billion had been disbursed to institutions over the past decade as incentives for compliance with JAMB regulations, while schools that produce top-performing candidates would now be compensated.

On the accreditation of CBT centres, he said the process is handled by multidisciplinary teams including vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts, and warned state governments against entering agreements with private operators seeking to use CBT facilities to facilitate examination malpractice.

The Federal Government has announced plans to abolish the long-standing dichotomy between Higher National Diploma holders and university degree graduates by empowering polytechnics to award degrees, marking a major policy shift in Nigeria’s higher education system.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the disclosure in Abuja while addressing a high-level retreat attended by council chairmen, commissioners of education, rectors, registrars and bursars. He described the decision as a landmark reform aimed at ending decades of discrimination against polytechnic graduates and repositioning technical and vocational education as a key driver of national development.

According to the minister, the move will elevate polytechnics into centres of excellence while preserving their core mandate of hands-on, industry-oriented training. He noted that Nigeria’s future competitiveness depends on a workforce capable of creating, building and solving real-world problems, adding that the reform aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises job creation, industrial expansion and human capital development.

Dr. Alausa said granting degree-awarding status to polytechnics would enhance their appeal to industry partners, improve access to funding and boost public confidence in the institutions. He assured stakeholders that the transition would be guided by clearly defined standards, strict regulation and robust quality assurance mechanisms to ensure global competitiveness.

Speaking on the theme of transforming polytechnic education through innovation, governance and sustainability, the minister stressed that polytechnics are central to building a skills-driven economy. He disclosed that the ministry has placed renewed emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training to ensure graduates are industry-ready, innovative and capable of driving economic growth.

He urged polytechnic leaders to deepen innovation through entrepreneurship centres, research hubs and strong industry linkages, identifying renewable energy, agri-technology, digital manufacturing and climate-resilient solutions as priority sectors. On governance, he emphasised the need for transparency, accountability and ethical leadership, calling for fiscal discipline, timely audits, prudent resource management and zero tolerance for corruption.

The minister also highlighted sustainability as a critical pillar of the reforms, encouraging institutions to boost internally generated revenue through production and service delivery, adopt eco-friendly campuses and develop resilient infrastructure. Polytechnics, he said, should strive to produce what they consume and contribute to national self-reliance by reducing dependence on imports.

While acknowledging challenges such as funding constraints, outdated facilities and societal bias in favour of university education, Dr. Alausa maintained that the opportunities presented by the reform far outweigh the obstacles. He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to supporting polytechnics through policy reforms, infrastructure upgrades and strategic partnerships.

He further announced a special TETFund intervention scheduled for this year to equip polytechnic engineering schools with modern facilities, following a similar intervention for medical colleges in the previous year. Charging participants at the retreat to return to their institutions as drivers of change, the minister said the future of Nigeria’s youth, economy and national development hinges on the successful transformation of the polytechnic sector.

Education experts at the retreat described the announcement as a turning point for the sector, noting that it is expected to boost enrolment, improve staff and student motivation, and strengthen the contribution of polytechnics to critical areas such as manufacturing, technology, agriculture and renewable energy.

The decision was taken by the university’s Senate during its 43rd statutory meeting held on January 7, 2026, following the consideration of reports and recommendations from relevant academic and disciplinary committees.

In an official statement released on Friday via its Facebook page, the university confirmed that the affected students were found culpable of various examination-related offences that violated institutional rules.

According to the statement, investigations established that the students engaged in acts contrary to the university’s examination policies. Consequently, the Senate approved their expulsion in strict compliance with existing regulations.

BUK explained that the disciplinary action was carried out in line with the provisions of its General Examinations and Academic Regulations (GEAR) and, where applicable, the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies (GRGPS).