The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede on Monday disclosed how some operators of Computer Based Test (CBT) centres were nabbed collecting “tollgate” monies ranging from N1,000 to N10,000 from candidates.
He added that some CBT centres’ operators offered officials of the board ‘hefty’ amount of money as bribe which was returned to the examination body.
Oloyede also warned that the body would continue to delist any CBT centre that did not meet up to specification even in the course of the examination.
In a chat with journalist after appearing at the LTV 8 interview programme in Lagos today, he disclosed that the CBT centres were reduced to 595 from 605 the exam initially started with.
“We have reduced them further this morning to 595 and we would continue to make sure that any centre that does not meet the specifications even during examination, we would delist them because we have other centres and we are not short of centres”, he said.
He also said some CBT centres were extorting candidates by introducing all sorts of charges, noting that some centres were collecting N10,000 and N1,000 for tollgate from candidates.
“One centre even put two soldiers at the gate collecting the money. We have reported to the appropriate authorities and we are going to make sure that we follow up that appropriate sanction is taken”, he said.
The Registrar who later monitored the conduct of the examination at some CBT centres in Lagos said most cases of system malfunctioning were false as some candidates tried to compromise the system, warning that such action would not profit them in anyway.
He appealed to owners of CBT centres that “the days of cutting corners are over. We are going to sanction appropriately. We pay you; we do not expect you to do anything to extort the candidates.”
On the recent N36million involving a JAMB official in Benue state, he said those to be celebrated were patriotic and honest officials whom he said had returned hefty and handsome bribe offered to them by some CBT centre operators which he did not name.
“We have fantastic human beings working in JAMB, fantastic people across the country who are patriotic…Many of them were offered bribes by these private CBT centres and they returned the money to JAMB, hefty amount of money, handsome amount and they returned it to JAMB. Those are the people to be celebrated, not somebody who believes he or she is in the jungle and can only tell a story”.
