The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to introduce a service to help eligible graduates resolve discrepancies between their personal details in the board’s database and their National Identification Number (NIN) records, an issue that has left some unable to proceed to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, announced the initiative in Abuja while receiving a delegation from Veritas University, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku.
Aina said the board had identified graduates who completed their university education years ago but remained unable to begin national service because their biodata did not match records held by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
He said the planned alignment service would allow eligible candidates to correct their details in JAMB’s records to match their official identity information.
“I am pleased to announce that today we will be formally launching an NIN alignment service that will allow candidates to change their biodata to match their official identity and that will unlock the possibility of NYSC for thousands of people,” Aina said.
The registrar also disclosed that JAMB was working to make it easier for candidates who had lost access to their registered email addresses or telephone numbers to update their contact details and continue using the board’s services.
He said the measures were part of efforts to reduce administrative obstacles faced by candidates and improve public confidence in the board’s operations.
Aina also warned tertiary institutions against admitting students outside JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), noting that irregularly processed admissions could create documentation problems for students later in their academic careers.
He urged university administrators to work with JAMB to regularise eligible cases and ensure admission records were properly documented before students graduated.
“The responsibility entrusted to you is a big one. It is not just one person that you tell to go away and come back; it is a life that can be destroyed by the work that you do,” he said.
Beyond the proposed NIN alignment service, Aina said JAMB was considering introducing life-skills and critical-thinking assessments as additional components of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to him, a committee had been set up to examine how the proposed assessments could be incorporated into the examination and used by universities alongside conventional UTME scores when making admission decisions.
He suggested that institutions could consider candidates whose performance in the additional assessments was strong, even where their UTME scores fell slightly below the usual cut-off mark for a course.
However, the proposal remains under consideration, and details of its implementation have not been established.
Earlier, Ichoku congratulated Aina on his appointment and pledged the university’s cooperation with JAMB in improving admission processes and higher education.
He also invited the registrar to the forthcoming Pan-African University Debating Championship, which Veritas University is hosting with the endorsement of the Federal Ministry of Education.
Graduates affected by NIN and admission-record discrepancies will need to follow JAMB’s official guidance when the alignment service becomes available and confirm the eligibility requirements for their cases.
