The Federal Government has debunked reports suggesting that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is no longer required for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The clarification came following viral online claims that the government had abolished the use of JAMB for university, polytechnic, and college of education admissions, allowing individual schools to conduct their own entrance examinations.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, dismissed the reports as “false” and “baseless.”
According to him, the viral publication did not emanate from the Ministry of Education.
“At no point did the Ministry issue or authorise any statement suggesting that JAMB is no longer mandatory for admission into tertiary institutions,” Alausa stated.
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He reaffirmed that JAMB remains the legally empowered body responsible for conducting entrance examinations and coordinating admissions into all tertiary institutions across the country.
“The established admission processes through JAMB remain fully operational, and any contrary information should be disregarded in its entirety,” the minister added.
Alausa advised the public, especially prospective students, parents, and tertiary institutions, to depend only on official communication channels of the Ministry and JAMB for verified information on admission policies.
He reiterated the ministry’s continued partnership with JAMB and other relevant agencies to maintain transparency, fairness, and credibility in the nation’s admission process.
“We remain committed to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that merit and due process guide all admissions into higher institutions,” he said.
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The minister also cautioned media outlets, bloggers, and online platforms against spreading unverified information, warning that misinformation could cause unnecessary confusion in the education sector.
He concluded by stressing that there has been no change in JAMB’s role, describing it as “central and indispensable” to Nigeria’s tertiary education framework. Any publication or online post claiming otherwise, he said, “is entirely false and should be treated as such.”
