In response to a recent incident at the Bafuto Institute in Ejigbo, Lagos, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has taken swift action against accredited officials involved in requesting a hijab-wearing female Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate to remove her headcover before sitting for the exam.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday, April 21, sparked outrage and prompted an official statement from JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
According to Benjamin’s statement released on Sunday, JAMB clarified that there is no policy prohibiting candidates from wearing religious attire during exams.
The board expressed regret over the incident and assured the public that such occurrences would be thoroughly investigated to prevent future recurrences.
The affected officials, who claimed ignorance of JAMB’s guidelines, have been sanctioned accordingly as a deterrent to others who might act similarly in the future. JAMB emphasised that ignorance of the law is not an excuse and reiterated its commitment to ensuring fair and inclusive examination processes.
The 2024 UTME, which commenced on April 19, has seen seamless administration, with over 1.2 million candidates expected to have completed the examination by Monday, April 22. JAMB reaffirmed its dedication to selecting qualified candidates for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions and vowed to address any challenges encountered during the examination process.
