Senate Tuesday urged the Federal Ministry of Education, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) review the use of National Identification Number (NIN) as part of precondition for the registration of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME) candidates in 2021.

The upper legislative chamber specifically called for the extension of the JAMB registration deadline or suspension of the requirement until there is a seamless and well organised process for obtaining the National Identity Number.

These resolutions were sequel to a motion of urgent national importance raised by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP Anambra South), who stated the “widespread hardship” currently being faced by students due to the JAMB’s decision.

Coming through Orders 42 and 43 of the Senate rules, Senator Ubah said “this action is an inconsiderate and premature that has further complicated the already rigorous process of both registering for JAMB examination and procuring the NIN.”

He informed that JAMB had initially attempted to start the implementation of the policy in 2020, but postponed it due to technical problems and irregularities bedeviling the process of obtaining NIN from NIMC, adding that “from all indications, these technical hitches are yet to be addressed; the long queues at NIMC centers are a testimony to the fact that a well organised process is yet to be put in place to ease the stressful process of registration.”

“Available statistics indicate that in 2020, more than two million candidates registered for JAMB examination.

“Presently, the introduction of NIN threatens to significantly lower the number of registered candidates in 2021 because majority of these candidates are just attaining the age when they can obtain the NIN.

“This is a brazen infringement on the right to education of young Nigerians who may not be able to meet the deadline to obtain their NIN and register for JAMB,” he said