The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to introduce a “Bring Your Own Device” option for candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) starting from 2027.
Newsonspot reports that the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed the development during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.
According to Oloyede, the new initiative will allow candidates to use their personal devices during the examination. He explained that special flash drives would be inserted into the devices to prevent examination malpractice and ensure the integrity of the testing process.
He noted that the innovation would reduce operational costs, make the examination process easier to manage, and address common complaints from candidates whose computers sometimes malfunction or shut down during exams.
The JAMB registrar added that more technological innovations would be introduced before 2027 to improve the overall conduct of the UTME and ensure a smoother examination experience for candidates nationwide.
Speaking further, Oloyede revealed the top-performing candidates in the 2026 UTME. He announced that Jesudunsin Owoeye from Ekiti State emerged as the highest scorer with 372 out of 400 marks after sitting for the examination in Ogun State.
Owoeye selected University of Lagos as her first-choice institution to study Medicine and Surgery.
The score falls three points below the 375 recorded by Chinedu Okeke from Anambra State, who emerged as the best candidate in the 2025 UTME.
Also ranked among the top candidates is Ikenna Enwere from Imo State, who scored 370 after taking the examination in Lagos State. He selected Nile University as his preferred institution to study Computer Science.
In third place was Ayomide Bamisile from Ondo State with a score of 369. He chose Federal University of Technology Akure as his first-choice institution to study Software Engineering.
The planned introduction of personal devices for UTME marks another major technological shift in Nigeria’s examination system as JAMB seeks to improve efficiency, transparency, and candidate experience.
