The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has praised President Bola Tinubu for authorising the creation of 67 new tertiary institutions across Nigeria between late 2024 and 2025.
Oloyede described the president’s decision to approve 22 new universities, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education as a demonstration of his “commitment to expanding access to tertiary education.”
The commendation came during an interactive session in Abuja on Monday, where principal officers of the newly approved, upgraded, and established institutions gathered to receive guidance on admission processes.
While addressing the participants, Oloyede issued a stern warning against admitting students through unofficial channels. He emphasised that all admissions must go through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and comply strictly with laid-down procedures.
“CAPS ensures transparency, fairness, and integrity in the admission process. Any institution attempting to bypass this platform risks having such admissions nullified,” Oloyede said.
He further directed all newly established institutions—over 80 in total, including universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education—to strictly follow JAMB’s standardized admission procedures.
According to the registrar, CAPS, which was launched in 2017, is designed to automate and streamline the entire admission process. He also mentioned the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS), introduced in 2018, which facilitates effective communication and eligibility checks for various academic programmes.
Both platforms have now been enhanced with institutional email services and are JAMB’s only official means of communicating with institutions.
Oloyede stressed that only courses approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) would be activated on the JAMB platforms.
“Institutional compliance is non-negotiable. There will be no tolerance for backdoor admissions. Institutions must nominate designated officers to manage their CAPS and IBASS access. JAMB will provide technical support, but shortcuts are unacceptable,” he warned.
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The session included a live demonstration of how to operate both CAPS and IBASS effectively.
During the event, Prof. William Qurix, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, commended the engagement and described the session as enlightening.
“This process has now been cleared for us, and JAMB has assured us of prompt support via CAPS and IBASS. This session will have a far-reaching impact,” he added.
Dr. Uche Uba, Director of Colleges at the Ministry of Education, reminded newly upgraded colleges of education running dual-mode systems to meet the NUC’s requirements.
“Only seven out of 15 upgraded institutions have reported to the NUC. This is unacceptable. NUC must conduct resource verification because you are now operating independently,” she said.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, commended JAMB for its use of technology in managing the admission process from application to enrolment.
He encouraged the new colleges of education that offer both NCE and degree programmes to follow the proper guidelines to maintain standards and credibility.
