JAMB scraps scratch cards usage for its services

The registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, has said that the board will discontinue the use of scratch cards for any of its services and rather use an online platform of pin vending.

This, he said, was as a result of the fraud associated with use of scratch cards.

Mr. Oloyede said this while delivering a paper at a meeting of the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian universities, AVCNU, in Abuja over the weekend.

He said scrapping the scratch cards was sequel to the board’s drive to promote accountability in line with Nigerian government’s zero tolerance for corruption.

The JAMB’s boss said the organisation will now only use “Web payment, ATM issued cards, online quickteller, ATM payment, quickteller mobile application and Bank Branch case /card”.

Mr. Oloyede said the National Assembly was in the process of amending the Board’s Act.

He, however, said an appeal was made to the National Assembly when he visited the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education last week to suspend the process of the amendment of the Act.

He said there was the need to allow the board and all tertiary institutions including the Ministry of Education and other necessary organs “to go back to the round table for discussion at a very conducive atmosphere as all have agreed to work together for the benefit of the Nigerian child”.

He said the content of the bill as it is presently with the National Assembly will be counter productive, if passed.

The Jamb Registrar also appealed to the federal government of Nigeria to revert to the former system where serving Vice Chancellors of Universities were made chairmen of the governing board of JAMB.

He said the reversal was for a harmonious relationship with the universities.

He explained that for almost two decades of the Board, from 1977 to 1993, only serving vice-chancellors were made chairmen of the Board.

He recalled those who headed the Board to include from Prof. Oladipo O. Akinkugbe, VC University of Ilorin; Prof. Donald Ekong, VC University of Port Harcourt; Prof. Adamu Baike, VC universities of Benin; Prof. Mahdi Adamu, VC University of Sokoto and Prof. Isa Mohammed, VC University of Abuja.

Mr. Oloyede said the practice promoted harmony and quality inputs on the Board’s matriculation activities, which has since been scrapped.

The registrar said the appointment of the chairman of the Board could be restricted to only heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria perhaps on rotational basis among the vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics and monotechnics and provosts of Colleges of Education.

The registrar also charged heads of tertiary institutions to participate in the supervision of the board’s matriculation examinations particularly in the centres within their institutions and the neighbourhood with a view to improving the sanctity of the examination.