JAMB Reacts as CBT Centre Stops UTME Candidate for Wearing Hijab
- JAMB reacted to the viral report of a UTME candidate being denied entry to a CBT centre over her use of hijab
- Fabian Benjamin, the spokesperson of JAMB, in a statement on Thursday, April 14, reacted to the incident at the Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre in Ibadan
- According to the JAMB spokesperson, the action was neither taken by the board nor by the centre, but by an overzealous ad hoc staff member
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reacted to the hijab-related incident at the Esther Oshikoya CBT Centre in Ibadan on Thursday, April 16.
Reports emerged from the centre that a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate was stopped by officials because of her hijab and was asked to remove it before being allowed to enter the hall.
Source: Twitter
Reacting to the incident, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin issued a statement on Thursday, April 16, explaining that the examination board "promptly intervened by calling the ad hoc official involved to order and issuing immediate instructions that no candidate wearing a hijab should be asked to remove or alter it."
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Benjamin further clarified that neither the centre nor the board issued such a directive. Instead, he attributed the incident to the actions of an ad hoc staff member who failed to adhere to JAMB's stipulated guidelines.
JAMB reiterated that the action was not in line with its screening guidelines and that it respects the religious beliefs and customs of every Nigerian, adding that the incident at the Ibadan CBT centre was addressed promptly.
Nigerians react as JAMB addresses UTME candidate's saga
Meanwhile, Nigerians have continued to react to the development. Below are some of their comments:
Sulaimon Ìdòwú said that the ad hoc staff should be punished:
"The overzealous ad-hoc staff should be punished to serve as a deterrent to other staff. This is not the first time such a thing has happened. It has been happening for years now. I'm sure it will happen again next year. It doesn't make any sense."
Source: Twitter
Bilkis called for training and retraining of the ad hoc staff and JAMB officials:
"I think training and retraining of your staff and ad hoc staff prior to the exam date should be prioritised to curb this yearly recurrence. If a student who isn’t strong enough emotionally experiences such treatment on the exam day, it will definitely affect her performance. We can do better as a people and organisations."
Spectator threatened to sue the ad hoc staff:
"Kindly provide us with the full details of the alleged overzealous ad-hoc official, to enable us to initiate appropriate contempt of court proceedings against him or her. Thank you."
Akeem Akeem called for a sanction on the centre:
"The barbaric religious discrimination will continue unless there is stiff sanctions for any center who engaged in such acts, as it happens every year, and intentionally, which would cause emotional damage to the students. The centre should be blacklisted to serve as a deterrent."
Read more reactions on X here:
JAMB speaks on hijab saga at ABUAD
Legit.ng earlier reported that JAMB addressed controversies surrounding the allegation that a 2026 UTME candidate was asked to take off her hijab during the registration process at ABUAD.
The board explained that the candidate was only asked to follow the international standards for passport and visa photography during the registration process
According to JAMB, the examination board had never directed that candidates should remove their hijab for any reason, and candidates' religious stances are respected.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
