The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has hailed the efforts of President Bola Tinubu in improving access to tertiary education across Nigeria.
He praised the President for approving the establishment of 67 new higher institutions, including 22 universities, 33 polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 colleges of education between late 2024 and early 2025.
Oloyede made this statement during an interactive session held in Abuja on Monday. The meeting brought together principal officers from the newly established, upgraded, and recently approved institutions.
The JAMB boss said that Tinubu’s decision shows a clear intention to expand educational opportunities for young Nigerians seeking higher education.
In his address, Oloyede strongly cautioned these institutions against admitting students outside of the officially approved process. He stated clearly that every admission must be processed through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which was launched in 2017 to ensure fairness and order.
“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 also instructed all 80+ newly approved schools—including universities, monotechnics, and colleges of education—to strictly follow the proper admission procedure. He mentioned that JAMB has upgraded CAPS and the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS) with email communication tools, making them the only official ways institutions can reach JAMB.
He added that only courses approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) will be allowed 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.
The session also included a practical demonstration of how CAPS and IBASS work. It helped new institutions understand how to use the platforms correctly.
Prof. William Qurix, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, called the session helpful and said it provided answers to key concerns faced by newly approved institutions. “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.
Meanwhile, Dr. Uche Uba from the Ministry of Education reminded upgraded colleges to complete necessary steps with the NUC. “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, the NCCE Executive Secretary, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, praised JAMB’s use of technology to make the admission process more reliable and competitive. He encouraged all institutions offering both degree and NCE programmes to stick to the required steps.
