By DAYO ADESULU, FAVOUR NNABUGWU & DAUD OLATUNJI

Failure of biometric machines in some centres of the 2012 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, convention, yesterday, hampered the examination start-up time in Abuja.

Consequently, the examination started between 9.20 and 10.15 a.m. as  against  9 a.m in the centres.  The closure of major roads in the federal capital territory for security reasons as a result of the PDP convention caused many invigilators and students to arrive the centers late.

Nevertheless, the Minister of Education, Prof Ruquayyat Rufa’i, and the Minister of State for Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, admitted that the organisation of  the UTME and the facilities provided were an improvement over previous exams of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Rufa’i was particularly impressed by the comfortability of the exam centres which, she said, would  boost the morale of the candidates.

Also applauding the improvement in the UTME, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Chairman, Senate Committee on Education and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Education, Honourable Farouk Lawan, during the inspection of  some centres in Abuja, noted that the number of biometric machines could be increased from one per centre, screening a maximum of 540 candidates, to three if JAMB is well funded.

Candidates for the UTME exam at Model Secondary School Maitama, Abuja Saturday. Photo: NAN

Commenting on the UTME, JAMB Registrar, Prof Dibu Ojerinde, who scored the improvement 110 percent, said some candidates were ardent late comers to examinations hence did not entirely blame their lateness on the PDP convention.
Ojerinde said the Board deployed 76,000 adhoc staff to all the 3,001 centres in 375 towns across the country and  six other countries for the UTME.

Meanwhile, some of the candidates, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said  they arrived their  centres as early as 6 a.m. but were still on queue to be screened as at 9.45 a.m.

Lagos: Hitches but peaceful
Reports from Ikorodu area of Lagos State said the examination was peaceful. The three examination centres there: Caleb University, Imota, Government College, Ikorodu and Homat Comprehensive College, Igbogbo, witnessed a large turnout of  candidates as early as 6a.m.

However, the examination didn’t start until about  10.30a.m. due to the electronic screening  that lasted for about one and  a half hour. The screening was attended by hitches.

5 arrested for cheating
In Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, no fewer than five candidates were arrested by men of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) over alleged malpractices.

The body’s public relations officer, Olanrewaju Kareem, disclosed that two of the candidates were arrested at the exam centre at Crescent University, Abeokuta, while the three others were nabbed at the  centre at African Church Grammar School, Ita-Eko, Abeokuta for being in possession of incriminating materials.

According to Kareem, the candidates would be prosecuted  for allegedly being in possession of  answer scripts and handsets with text messages of  answers.

Kareem further said that the senders of the answers would be arrested  and prosecuted along with the receivers, as the senders, according to him, were accomplices.

In the meantime, Sunday Vanguard gathered that Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo was planning to  hold the exam in the night as no candidate was in the centre as at 12 p.m.

It was also learnt that the same thing  happened last year when the exam did not start until  around 6 p.m. after other candidates across the country had finished theirs.

Confirming the development, the institution’s Director of Public Affairs, Joseph Sulaemon, said the development was not  new, saying Saturday is a work free day for both students and staff.

He said Saturday was Sabbath day and  that most of the candidates who are members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, which owns the university, would be in church till 6p.m. saying  JAMB was aware of the peculiarity.