RismadarVoice Reporters
September 5, 2026
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed willingness to support the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with biometric technology to strengthen identity verification during examinations.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, requested a courtesy visit by the board’s management team to INEC headquarters in Abuja at the weekend.
Aina said JAMB approached INEC because of the commission’s extensive experience in using biometric technology to identify and verify large numbers of Nigerians.
He explained that the board was seeking additional measures to improve the integrity of its examination processes, adding that JAMB had learnt that INEC had some biometric equipment that might no longer be in active use.
The registrar appealed to INEC to consider releasing some of the equipment to JAMB for use in enhancing its biometric verification system.
Receiving the delegation, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, commended JAMB for its role in Nigeria’s education sector and described the board as an important institution in developing the country’s young population.
Amupitan was accompanied by the National Commissioner for Outreach and Partnerships, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu-Zuru, and senior officials from the commission’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Human Resources Management, and Voter Education and Publicity departments.
The chairman said INEC’s recent electoral activities, including the Anambra and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls, as well as several bye-elections, had demonstrated the commission’s increasing reliance on technology.
According to him, the deployment of technology in the elections had received positive feedback from stakeholders, including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the United Kingdom High Commission, particularly regarding the credibility and peaceful conduct of the polls.
Amupitan subsequently directed INEC’s Director of ICT, Dr Lawrence Bayode, to examine JAMB’s request and conduct a proof-of-concept assessment.
The assessment, he said, would determine whether any of the commission’s biometric equipment was available, technically functional and suitable for deployment by JAMB.
He described the engagement as an example of the importance of inter-agency cooperation, noting that government institutions could achieve more by sharing expertise, technology and resources in pursuit of national development.
Amupitan assured the JAMB delegation that INEC was open to exploring additional areas of collaboration that could improve the capacity of both institutions to fulfil their statutory responsibilities.
Aina thanked the INEC chairman and management for receiving his delegation, reaffirming JAMB’s commitment to strengthening institutional cooperation with the electoral commission.
