Sanwo-Olu pledges land for new JAMB CBT centres in Lagos

Babajide Sanwo-Olu says he plans to facilitate the establishment of more Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) computer-based test centres in Lagos.

The governor spoke during a courtesy visit by Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, on Tuesday in Ikeja.

Ishaq had revealed that Lagos had 15 per cent of the candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He expressed concern that the state, however, had less than 10 per cent of the CBT centres in the country.

“We believe that when you see what JAMB is doing in terms of support for other states, Lagos state deserves more,” he said.

“For example, we have a 1,100-seater CBT centre in Kaduna that can conduct examinations for 4,400 candidates a day.

“We expended over N1.2 billion in constructing this in the last three years.”

Oloyede pointed out that most candidates in Lagos are from the mainland, but the JAMB office is in Ikoyi, creating inconvenience for staff and students.

To address this challenge, he appealed to the Lagos state government for support and collaboration.

“Priming our students for examination is necessary, and this cannot be done without the state support,” the governor added.

Responding, Sanwo-Olu emphasised the importance of education in economic growth and development.

Sanwo-Olu pledged to provide a sizable plot of land in Ojo, FESTAC, Ikorodu, and Mile 12 areas of the state for the construction of more computer-based test (CBT) centres to support JAMB’s initiatives.

He said the board’s oversight of admission processes in more than 1,400 higher institutions demonstrates innovation and resilience.

He assured JAMB of the state’s administration’s willingness to partner.

“This collaboration will benefit the state’s children and citizens,” Sanwo-Olu said.