2021 UTME: Candidates stranded as JAMB closes E-Pin procurement

Some candidates who are yet to register for the ongoing 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are stranded

Some candidates, who are yet to register for the ongoing 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), are stranded as the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) has closed the procurement of E-pin ahead of the close of the registration on Saturday.

Some of the candidates, who were to register in centres around FCT, Abuja told Daily Trust that they met the bankers on arriving at the registration point who told them that JAMB had closed the procurement of E-pin which will enable them to register.

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Some of the candidates said they have spent almost two weeks trying to get their profile code to no avail.

A candidate, Paul Amaddin, said since the registration commenced he has been trying to get his profile code which always failed and at a point, he had to go to the MTN office to get a new SIM card and do the NIN registration.

“It was just on Monday that I went to NIMC office after a long time. They attended to us and tried to rectify the problem. They said I should try and send the code I did on Wednesday and I got my profile code at 5.00 am today,” he said.

Paul, who was seen at one of the centres at about 3.00 pm, said he was expecting the pin as his teacher promised to get him the Pin.

One of the registration officers, who did not want to be mentioned, said some candidates said JAMB has suspended the selling of pins and without the pins they cannot do any registration.

“Before the extension of registration there were rushes but after the extension, in a day we can get like 15 candidates come in to register and the highest so far is 20 candidates,” he said.

He however noted that some people got their profile code this morning (Friday) and the registration pin had been closed.

JAMB reacts

Responding, the Head, Public Affairs of JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said registration closes on Saturday so e-payment is supposed to close a day before so that those who have obtained the e-card can register before the day.

“If we don’t close the procurement of pin today somebody can go and buy the pin tomorrow when the registration is closing and will be unable to register tomorrow.

“So, those who have pin can register between now and tomorrow,” he said.

He told Daily Trust that all along they have been registering candidates like 10, 000 or 20,000 daily, but just registered 100, 000 candidates on Thursday, the highest so far since the process began.

“They all waited till the day of closure.

“All along we have been registering 7, 000, and sometimes 20,000. So, it is not about trying to register but they waited till the end.

“If you go to a centre, you will see seven or 10 candidates and from our dashboard, we noticed that some of the candidates have their profile a week ago,” he disclosed.

He disclosed that from the JAMB dashboard, 143, 542 candidates got their profile code two weeks ago and up till now they have not got their pin.

“Such candidates will now say there is a delay.  So, if you don’t draw the line even when you give like a four-week extension, these candidates will relax at the end they will come and say they have been trying to register.

“We have a platform where we can tell when each candidate tried and when you got a profile code and everything,” he said.