The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will not extend the closing date for candidates registering for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the Direct Entry applications.

The board made this known in its Weekly Bulletin, published by the registrar’s office on Monday in Abuja.

The board had earlier extended the exercise from the initial closing date of May 15 to 29 to avail candidates who could not register within this period of the opportunity to carry out a seamless exercise.

The new closing date ended on May 29. According to JAMB, despite the two-week date extension, complaints of candidates’ inability to register persisted.

The complaints received, the board stated, were lateness or non-delivery of National Identity Number (NIN) verification code; inability to obtain NIN; mismatch or wrong names originally submitted to National Identity Management Commission ( NIMC).

While few of such excuses were genuine, the board said many were traceable to fraudsters whom it alleged were hell-bent on subverting the system.

JAMB, however, said it would give another opportunity to those who have genuinely tried to register but failed due to some of the challenges mentioned.

It said, “Due to time constraints within the window available to JAMB on the Annual National Examinations Timetable, further extension of the registration period is not feasible. Nevertheless, the board wants to avail every prospective candidate of the opportunity to still participate in the 2021 registration exercise.

“Consequently, all prospective candidates with genuine proof(s) of failed efforts to register before the closing date should visit any of JAMB’s offices for reconciliation between Monday, May 31, and June 15.”

The exam body further stated, “They are to submit, for the reading test and the application, a certified bank draft of N4,000 only in favour of JAMB and obtain a signed duplicate copy from the office.

“They will also submit the completed form with a recent passport photograph at the same office of collection and collect a copy of the reading test.

“Candidates are to wait for further directives through the registered phone number and public service announcement through the NTA Network News as soon as the screening is completed.”

It reiterated that there would be no registration for 2021 UTME/DE without a properly obtained NIN, which had to be verified or validated by the NIMC.

(NAN)