The Senate, through its Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, has stated that budgetary provisions would be made in the 2026 fiscal year for the establishment of ICT centres across all 774 local government areas in the country.
ICT centres—Information and Communication Technology facilities—are where candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions across the country sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which is a computer-based test (CBT).
Speaking to journalists during the committee’s monitoring of the ongoing UTME in Abuja yesterday, chairman of the committee, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse (APC, Katsina South), expressed concern over the absence of such examination centres in some local government areas.
He said since the Senate and by extension, the federal government wants Nigerians to study in the country, access to education through important examinations like the UTME should be made easier for candidates.
“In making it easier for candidates seeking admission into universities or other tertiary institutions through UTME, ICT centres must be made available in all 774 local government councils across the country.
“I am from Katsina South Senatorial District, where only two out of the eleven local government councils have ICT centres for UTME.
“Since the examination is computer-based, centres for it need to be made available across all local government councils. In doing this, our committee, in collaboration with our colleagues in the House of Representatives, shall facilitate budgetary provisions for it in the 2026 fiscal year,” he said.
Earlier, while briefing members of the committee, the spokesman of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, stated that the board currently has 880 ICT centres across the country but acknowledged that they were not evenly distributed across the 774 local government councils.
“JAMB presently has close to 900 ICT centres across the country, precisely 880, but they do not cover all 774 local government councils.
“JAMB will be happy if the committee facilitates budgetary provisions for the establishment of ICT centres in local government councils that are yet to have one,” he said.
He also allayed concerns raised by some committee members regarding the possible malfunctioning of the system during exams, stating that the technology has been designed to operate efficiently and will not, in any way, affect the performance of candidates.
The committee, which included Senators Jibrin Isah (Kogi East), Diket Plang (Plateau Central), and others on the oversight tour, first visited Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, to monitor the conduct of the UTME. The chairman expressed satisfaction with JAMB’s arrangements and the smooth conduct of the examination.
