Thousands of Nigerian graduates who have been unable to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme for years because of discrepancies between their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) records and National Identification Number (NIN) details may soon get relief, as JAMB prepares to introduce a service to align their biodata.
The initiative is part of measures by the examination body to remove administrative bottlenecks that have left graduates stranded despite completing their university education.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, disclosed this in Abuja while receiving a delegation from Veritas University, Abuja, led by its Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Professor Hyacinth Ichoku.
Aina said the new NIN alignment service would enable eligible candidates to update their biodata to match their official identity records, potentially clearing a major obstacle preventing affected graduates from proceeding to NYSC.
He said the board had identified cases of graduates who completed their studies four or five years ago but remained unable to participate in the national service scheme because their personal details in JAMB’s records did not match those registered with the National Identity Management Commission.
The registrar estimated that thousands of candidates could be affected, describing the initiative as part of his administration’s commitment to reducing the difficulties students and graduates encounter while dealing with the board.
“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,” he said.
Aina, who described his mission at JAMB as one of building trust and reducing trauma, said the board was leveraging technology to resolve problems that had previously prevented candidates from accessing its services.
He added that candidates who had lost access to their registered email addresses or telephone numbers could now make changes and regularise their relationship with the board, unlike in the past when such situations could prevent them from carrying out transactions.
The registrar also urged universities to cooperate with JAMB in regularising admissions, warning that candidates admitted outside the board’s Central Admissions Processing System remained a particularly difficult challenge.
He said such candidates might have completed their studies but could still face recognition and documentation problems because their admissions were not processed through the approved central system.
Beyond the planned NIN alignment service, Aina disclosed that JAMB was considering incorporating life skills and critical-thinking assessments into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to give universities a broader basis for selecting candidates.
He said the proposed reform was intended to move admission decisions beyond academic performance alone and recognise candidates with practical abilities, sound reasoning and other competencies essential for success in higher education.
According to him, the board had established a committee to examine how the additional assessment components could be integrated into the UTME.
Aina argued that candidates who had already been assessed in their subject knowledge at the ordinary-level stage might not need to be evaluated solely on the same basis during the admission process.
He said the proposed approach would give universities greater flexibility to identify applicants whose critical-thinking and life-skills performance demonstrated their suitability for particular courses, even where their conventional UTME scores fell slightly below the institutions’ usual cut-off marks.
“We should be able to find institutions that will say our cut-off for this course is 200, but we will take 190 if you score over 80 per cent in the critical-thinking and life-skills component of the examination,” he said.
The registrar noted that some candidates might not be outstanding academic performers under conventional assessment methods but could possess other abilities that made them worthy of admission consideration.
He said the proposed reform would promote a more inclusive admission process by recognising candidates’ all-round capabilities rather than relying exclusively on their academic performance on examination day.
The initiative, he added, would require collaboration between JAMB and tertiary institutions to ensure that the proposed assessment components served as useful tools for admission decisions.
Aina, however, expressed concern over candidates admitted into tertiary institutions outside the central admissions system, saying the board had yet to find a solution for many who had completed their programmes but were not recognised in its records.
He described the situation as a serious challenge, noting that the consequences of administrative decisions in the admission process could affect the future of young Nigerians.
“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.
He urged university administrators to work closely with JAMB to ensure that admissions were properly processed and documented, thereby preventing students from encountering difficulties years after graduation.
The registrar said his administration would continue to explore technology-driven solutions to eliminate avoidable obstacles and improve candidates’ experiences with the board.
He stressed that the objective was not to introduce disruptive policy reversals but to improve the implementation of existing policies and make JAMB’s operations more responsive to the needs of students.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Rev. Fr. Professor Hyacinth Ichoku, congratulated Aina on his appointment and pledged the institution’s cooperation with the examination body.
Ichoku said the university’s delegation visited to formally welcome the new registrar and express its support for his national assignment.
He said Veritas University was committed to maintaining a productive relationship with JAMB to strengthen admission processes and advance higher education in Nigeria.
The vice-chancellor also informed Aina of the forthcoming Pan-African University Debating Championship, which Veritas University is hosting with the endorsement of the Federal Ministry of Education, and invited him to attend.
Ichoku said students of the university had continued to distinguish themselves in national and international competitions, particularly in sports, debating and technological innovation.
He said the students’ achievements reflected the institution’s commitment to developing talent and equipping young Nigerians with skills that could make them competitive beyond the classroom.
