The Senate, on Tuesday, urged the Federal Ministry of Education, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to review the implementation of its policymaking the National Identification Number (NIN) a mandatory requirement for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration.
The Senate also called for the extension of the UTME registration deadline until there is a seamless and well organised process for obtaining the NIN.
The Senate further urged the Federal Ministry of Education and NIMC to introduce and streamline a simple and decentralised NIN registration process where students would be able to obtain their NIN in their various accredited school premises.
These resolutions of the upper chamber followed a motion on the floor by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, at plenary.
The Senator said the policy was an inconsiderate and premature decision that has further complicated the already rigorous process of both registering for UTME examination and procuring the NIN.
He said available statistics indicate that in 2020, more than two million candidates registered for UTME and that 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.
He called for the suspension of the policy until the conditions for obtaining NIN improves tremendously.
Senator Uche Lilian Ekwunife supported the motion.
She said there was still a lack of awareness on NIN at the grassroots, secondary schools and universities, as many students were unaware that the national identification number was a requirement for exam registration.
