THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that a total of N2.42 billion has been doled out to tertiary institutions through five editions of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award (NATAP-M) since its launch in 2018.
The Board revealed that N710 million was awarded to six tertiary institutions during this year’s National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award (NATAP-M) alone.
JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, announced winners of this year’s edition of the awards, noting that the board judged the institutions by five criteria.
He stated this in Abuja at the 2025 policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions and the fifth edition of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M), which is the merger of 2023 and 2024 merit awards.
Following the introduction of the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) in 2017, the board in 2018 instituted the performance merit award prizes to tertiary institutions for compliance with its admission processes.
For the 2025 tertiary institutions’ award, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, emerged as the overall winner with 14 points and was awarded N500 million, while the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) emerged the runner up with nine points and was awarded N75 million.
Nile University of Nigeria (UN), a private university in Abuja, emerged the second runner-up with six points and N25 million.
The winners were presented with dummy cheques during the award ceremony.
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Oloyede said the criteria for selection included the institution with the highest number of candidates seeking admission from it and one that admits candidates from every state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Other criteria, he said, were the institutions that admitted not less than 1,500 candidates in total, and one with the fairest distribution of admitted candidates among its catchment states (all states in case of specialised military institutions).
Also, institutions with the highest number of admissions of foreign candidates, the most improved in gender balance and the most compliant with guidelines for admissions through the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) were other criteria used.
The NATAP-M awards also have sectoral awards for Polytechnic, Colleges of Education and Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEI).
Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna emerged the best polytechnic with an aggregate of 10 points and the Federal College of Education, Zaria the best College of Education, with an aggregate of 18 points, both receiving N50 million each.
The PEFTI Film Institute, Lagos emerged as the best IEI, with an aggregate of four points, clinching a N10 million prize.
According to JAMB, in order to ensure that the monetary benefit attached to the award is utilised by the winning institutions, in ways that would improve the service delivery of the mandate of the institutions, particularly in the areas of Teaching, Assessment Sports Development, Environmental Matters and Knowledge Dissemination, the board has also approved that each winner should submit a project which execution (by the institution) is not more than the award and on which it would be expended.
On completion of the project or procurement of the item or service, the board’s support is usually acknowledged with a conspicuous inscription of its Logo on the project.
Meanwhile, the JAMB has said that a total of N2.42 billion had been doled out to tertiary institutions through five editions of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award (NATAP-M) since its launch in 2018.
The award, which was initiated in 2018 by the Professor Is-haq Oloyede-led administration, was to recognise tertiary institutions complying with admission guidelines as well as spur healthy competition among the institutions.
The maiden edition of the awards, which was held in 2019, featured five categories, namely: the most-subscribed institutions by candidates, the most-national institution in terms of admission spread and the institution with the highest number of admission of international students.
Other categories are the most-improved institution in intake of female students and the most-compliant institution in keeping within the guidelines.
The University of Ilorin, University of Maiduguri, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Rivers State University, and Kaduna Polytechnic were among the recipients of the maiden edition, collectively receiving N125 million in prize money.
In the 2019 NATAP-M awards, a total of N500 million was awarded. The third edition, held on July 21, 2022, also featured N500 million in prizes for winning institutions.
The fourth edition, which combined the awards for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic years which was held in 2024, offered a cash prize of N710 million, with the University of Ilorin winning the top award.
The fifth edition, held on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, for the 2023/2024 academic year, also had a total prize pool of N710 million, with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, winning the grand prize of N500 million.
Studies conducted by the Board have shown that the NATAP-M Awards have significantly improved compliance with admission guidelines and fostered healthy competition among institutions.
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