The Computer-Based Test Centres Proprietors Association of Nigeria has raised the alarm over the N700 Computer-Based Test Centre Registration Service Charge for candidates registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, describing it as “grossly inadequate” amid rising operational costs and logistical challenges.
The association’s President, Austin Ohaekelem, spoke to The PUNCH on Monday shortly after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board announced the disbursement of N1.57bn to accredited CBT centres for the 2026 UTME registration exercise.
In a bulletin on Monday, JAMB, through its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, said the payment represents the N700 fee collected from candidates on behalf of CBT centres and is remitted weekly alongside ePIN registration charges.
The bulletin read, “In line with this arrangement, the Board has remitted a total sum of N1,570,671,200 to the CBT centres that participated in the 2026 UTME registration exercise.”
JAMB has maintained that its fee structure has remained unchanged since 2018, vowing to sanction overcharging centres.
JAMB charges N7,200 for UTME only, N8,700 for UTME with mock, and N5,700 for Direct Entry.
The breakdown includes Application Fee – ₦3,500; Reading Text – ₦1,000; CBT Centre Registration Service Charge – ₦700; CBT Centre UTME Service Charge – ₦1,500; Bank Charges – ₦500; CBT Mock-UTME Centre Charge – ₦1,500.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, the CBT proprietors’ President, Ohaekelem, however, insisted that the N700 charge no longer reflects the realities of running CBT centres.
Ohaekelem said, “The cost of registering a candidate as of 2016, when I joined the CBT programme, was N700. Ten years later, it is still N700.”
“This is apart from additional requirements, stipulations that change almost every year, and the logistics and tools we need to run these centres. You and I know the cost of living and the inflation rate, yet we are still being asked to charge N700.”
He also highlighted the operational constraints faced by CBT centres.
“A laptop that can serve for three years costs at least N150,000. If I handle 3,000 candidates, that’s N2.1 million. Then I pay staff, diesel, rent, service equipment, and repairs. In Lagos, a 250-capacity hall will cost no less than N3 million per year; in Ebute Metta, my centre can’t go below N5 million annually. By the time you account for staff and fuel, the N700 registration fee barely covers costs,” he said.
Ohaekelem added that centres are not allowed to collect the fee directly from candidates.
He explained, “What JAMB does is refund the money every week. It’s not like we collect it ourselves. The candidate registers, we pay JAMB, and then we get reimbursed. For the N700 service, we were supposed to collect it directly, but they said we should pay it to them first, so it looks like they are paying us a grant. That’s not the reality.”
He also pointed to human resource demands.
“We have to hire staff to coordinate registration, supervise the exams, and manage logistics. Candidates crowd in, and someone must be on duty. All these expenses come from a fee that hasn’t changed in ten years. It’s grossly inadequate.”
While acknowledging their critical role in Nigeria’s education sector, Ohaekelem lamented that CBT centres struggle to gain recognition from examination authorities.
“We are integral to the education sector, yet often seen as a pressure group rather than partners. We even wrote to the Education Minister last year, but we’ve yet to get a response,” he said.
In its bulletin, JAMB defended the fee structure, noting that its cashless registration system has reduced abuses, curtailed unauthorised charges, and enhanced transparency, particularly in privately owned centres. Candidates now purchase the UTME ePIN and register at any accredited centre of their choice without separate payments.
The board also highlighted its “No View, No Pay” policy, under which payments to centres are withheld if registration activities cannot be monitored remotely from JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja. Payment is only effected after centres rectify any anomalies.
“This monitoring mechanism forms part of the Board’s broader technological innovations aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability and strict adherence to registration guidelines,” the bulletin read.
The 2026 UTME registration closed on February 28, with exams scheduled nationwide from April 16 to 25. Registration for the Direct Entry programme started on March 2 and will end on April 25.
The bulletin also saw JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, clarify the board’s limited role regarding HND graduates during a meeting with the National Association of Polytechnic Students led by Eshofune Oghayan. Many HND graduates from part-time or non-regular National Diploma programmes have faced challenges with NYSC mobilisation, as eligibility typically requires full-time study for the highest qualification.
Oloyede explained that once candidates graduate from ND programmes and seek HND admission, the responsibility lies with the institutions, not JAMB. “The board is not responsible for admitting HND students into polytechnics and, therefore, has no data to facilitate their entry into the NYSC scheme,” he said.
He further noted that JAMB admissions are conducted through its automated Central Admissions Processing System, which ensures transparency, restores institutional autonomy, and prevents multiple admissions.
“CAPS automates the admissions process into tertiary institutions, addresses challenges associated with the manual approach, and empowers candidates with information on available institutions and programmes,” he said.
The registrar also criticised some “Daily Part-Time” HND programmes and institutions that bypass CAPS, describing them as exploitative, with NYSC often rejecting graduates from unconventional programmes.
“Some polytechnics have conducted illegal admissions, with one institution reportedly having over 42,000 irregular cases. If institutions follow the proper process, there would be no problem. On our part, we will continue to render quality service beneficial to all stakeholders. Let’s do things properly,” he added.
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