THE 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) commenced on Friday nationwide, with a total number of 1.7 million candidates registered to sit for examination nationwide.
The 11-day examination being conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and holding in over 755 Computer Based Test (CBT) Centres, would end on May 16. Saturday Tribune observed that while the exercise was held smoothly, from biometric verification of candidates to actual test in some CBT centres, the conduct of the examination was marred by network and technical hitches in some centres.
According to JAMB, a total of 1,761,338 candidates that successfully registered for the examination in 755 computer-based centres are taking the examination.
Some of the candidates expressed worries, especially against the backdrop of earlier warning by JAMB that candidates would not be rescheduled for the examination if they fail to adhere to their time and date for the examination as indicated in the examination slip.
Spokesperson of JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, while confirming the number of candidates for the 2022 UTME, said the board had put in place all measures to ensure smooth conduct of the examination.
However, many candidates for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Lagos, on Friday, battled an early morning downpour to get to their centres as the 2022 examination got underway.
In centres monitored in Lagos, candidates scheduled for the first session at 7.00 a.m. were mostly affected by the downpour, with some arriving late and being denied entry. A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who visited the WAEC Test and Training Centre (WTTC), one of the accredited centres for the examination in Ogba, noticed a group of candidates, who were desperately seeking for help, after having missed the test.
The same situation also applied at the Wisdom House Centre, off Yaya Abatan, also in Ogba, Command Secondary School Ipaja and Lagooz Schools Orile-Agege centres.
Other centres visited by NAN are Timeon Kairos Polytechnic and Professional Institute, Ile-Epo, Lagos-Abeokuta Express way.
NAN reports that despite the downpour, however, many candidates, accompanied by their parents, still turned up as early as 6.00 a.m. to beat the examination time in centres visited.
Some of the candidates who failed to meet up with their schedule, blamed the heavy rain for their plight, appealing to JAMB’s management to look into the matter. Miss Esther Oladokun told NAN that she lives at Ajunwon in Ogun, a border with Lagos, and that knowing full well the time of her examination, left her house at 5.30 a.m.
She said that she was, unfortunately, caught up in the rain and could not arrive at the WTTC in good time.
According to her, the vehicle she boarded broke down as a result of flood. She said she had to seek a solution to her challenge only to get to her centre at 8.13 a.m but was not allowed access by the examination officials.
Miss Chiamaka Ezeaputa said left her home at Ota, near Bells University, another Ogun border community, near Lagos, as early as 5: am, hoping to be at her centre before 6.30 a.m. She said that following the early morning rain, there was huge traffic and this created problems for her.
The candidate said that after being stuck, she had to take a motorcycle at an exorbitant rate, but arrived the centre at 9.20 a.m. She said that she was denied access into the hall by the examination officials.
Miss Blessing Akindoyin, who said she lives at Sango, also blamed the early morning downpour for her lateness. She claimed there was difficulty in getting commercial vehicles and she got to her centre late for the 7.00 a.m. examination.
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