JAMB Uncovers Scores of Forged A-Level Results by Candidates, Spark Reactions

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has recently unveiled that it identified 1,665 counterfeit A-level results submitted by candidates during the 2023 Direct Entry (DE) registration process.

This announcement was made by JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during an engagement with the leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) at the JAMB office in Bwari, Abuja.

Prof. Oloyede highlighted that the discovery was part of an initiative to curb the widespread corruption in the admissions system and to reaffirm the credibility of the admission process. A detailed breakdown of the fake results revealed that 397 originated from Colleges of Education, 453 from University diplomas, with the remainder comprising various other A-level certificates.

This revelation emphasizes the urgent need for robust mechanisms to protect the integrity of A-level certificates, which are pivotal for admission through the DE route. Traditionally, JAMB would defer the responsibility of screening and due diligence to the awarding institutions upon a candidate’s application for DE. However, this practice came under scrutiny following alarming findings from Bayero University, Kano (BUK). BUK reported that, of 148 Direct Entry applications reviewed, a staggering 142 were found to be fraudulent.

These shocking discoveries prompted a meeting of key stakeholders to deliberate on combating this fraud epidemic. As a result, an A-level result verification task force was established alongside a unified platform for the verification of A-level results and certificates. Emphasizing the critical nature of this issue, Prof. Oloyede declared a stringent “no verification, no admission” policy.

Additionally, the registrar called out 15 institutions for their lack of cooperation with the board’s verification efforts. These institutions, each with over 20 unverified candidates, are now required to pre-verify applicants’ certificates before such candidates can proceed with their DE registration.