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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced a new digital system that allows candidates who sat for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to verify and upload their O’Level results without visiting a Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre.
The new arrangement, announced by JAMB’s Acting Director of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin, on Monday, August 24, marks another step in the Board’s push to digitise its examination and admission processes.
WAEC Verification Comes First
The system initially integrates JAMB’s e-Facility platform with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), enabling candidates’ results to be checked directly against records held by the examination body.
Under the previous process, candidates generally had to visit accredited CBT centres, where examination details and grades were manually entered into their JAMB profiles.
JAMB’s new approach removes much of that manual process by allowing candidates to initiate verification remotely while the Board obtains confirmation directly from the relevant examination body.
System Targets Errors and Fraud
According to JAMB, the digital verification framework is designed to tackle several problems associated with manual O’Level result uploads.
These include misplaced documents, fraudulent or unverified certificates and mistakes involving the entry of subjects and grades.
By connecting its e-Facility platform directly with examination bodies, JAMB said results can be authenticated against official records before being transferred to a candidate’s profile.
The Board also expects the initiative to reduce unnecessary visits to CBT centres, particularly when high demand and network congestion create additional pressure on candidates and operators.
How the New Verification Process Works
Candidates begin by accessing the designated result verification platform, where they provide their National Identification Number (NIN) and indicate the number of O’Level sittings and examination body involved.
They are then required to provide their contact and examination details, make the applicable payment and enter information including their examination number, series and year.
Once the result has been successfully verified, the candidate receives a verification code.
The code is then used to initiate the upload by sending “VERIFY” followed by the verification code to 55019 or 66019.
Candidates with two O’Level sittings are subsequently directed to their JAMB e-Facility profiles, where they can select “2026 UTME O’Level Upload,” enter their verification code and choose the required subjects from their verified results.
JAMB said candidates must select between five and nine subjects, with each subject appearing only once, before submitting the results through the platform.
Part of Wider Digital Reform
The O’Level initiative comes amid a broader series of changes by JAMB aimed at reshaping how candidates interact with the admission system.
The Board recently announced that, beginning with the 2027 admission cycle, candidates seeking admission into Education programmes and non-engineering Agriculture-related programmes in Colleges of Education and Polytechnics would be exempted from taking the UTME.
President Bola Tinubu also recently appointed Professor Segun Aina as the incoming JAMB Registrar, succeeding Professor Ishaq Oloyede. Aina has a background in computer engineering, digital systems, examination technology and institutional transformation.
Scale Makes Digitisation Critical
The significance of the new system is underscored by the sheer size of JAMB’s operations.
For the 2026 UTME, 2,243,816 candidates registered nationwide. Lagos recorded the highest number of registrations at 321,814, followed by Kaduna with 303,498 and the Federal Capital Territory with 302,963.
Ogun, Oyo and Rivers recorded 137,156, 122,662 and 105,584 registrations respectively.
JAMB had also increased its approved examination centres to about 1,000 nationwide, up from fewer than 800 in 2025, as it prepared to accommodate the large candidate population.
The Board projected N23.8 billion in internally generated revenue for 2026, while targeting N6 billion in operating surplus remittances to the Federation Account.
Reducing Pressure on CBT Centres
For candidates, the immediate benefit of the new system is convenience.
Instead of physically travelling to a CBT centre for a process that previously involved manual data entry, candidates can initiate verification remotely while JAMB handles the authentication process with the examination body.
For the Board, the change could also reduce congestion and administrative pressure at CBT centres while improving the reliability of information stored on candidates’ profiles.
The Bigger Picture
JAMB’s online O’Level verification system represents a significant shift in a traditionally manual component of Nigeria’s tertiary admission process.
By linking its platform directly with examination bodies, the Board is attempting to make result verification more secure, reduce data-entry errors and give millions of candidates a more convenient way to submit their academic credentials.
As JAMB continues to digitise its operations, the success of the new system will ultimately depend on how reliably the technology handles the large volume of candidates and how effectively it integrates with other examination bodies beyond WAEC.
