Senate to budget for establishment of CBT centres in all 774 LGAs

The senate committee on tertiary education says it intends to budget for the establishment of computer-based test centres across all of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.

The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) started on April 24, 2025, and will end on May 5.

Some of the challenges encountered in the course of the examination have spurred media discourse around inadequate exam centres.

The JAMB Bulletin reports that Muntari Danduste, chairman of the senate committee on tertiary education, oversaw the conduct of the 2025 UTME at select CBT centres in Abuja.

The committee, after the assessment, disclosed that it has initiated talks to allocate funding for the establishment of CBT centres in all of Nigeria’s 774 local governments.

This initiative, it said, aims to ensure a seamless administration of the UTME conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The committee said JAMB, under Is-haq Oloyede, has shown innovation, accountability, and transparency in managing the UTME.

Despite JAMB operating 887 CBT centres for the 2025 UTME, the committee said this number falls short of adequately serving all local government councils.

It said this deficiency poses challenges for candidates in rural areas, where examination centres are often located outside their localities.

Oloyede expressed gratitude to the senate for its pursuit of solutions aimed at alleviating the educational challenges faced by Nigerians.