Nigerian Senate yesterday asked the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB, and the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, to review the idea of making the National Identity Number, NIN, a prerequisite for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
This followed a motion titled “The need to address the untold hardship caused by the introduction of NIN as compulsory requirement for JAMB registration.” raised by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (YPP, Anambra South).
According to him, “this action is an inconsiderate and premature decision that has further complicated the already rigorous process of both registering for JAMB examination and procuring the NIN. He noted that it is obvious that the issues associated in obtaining NIN as well as the technical hitches associated with linking NIN with UTME/DE registration are yet to be addressed.
Ubah stated that the inclusion of NIN at the moment is counterproductive and will serve as a hindrance to young Nigerians’ desires to get into higher institutions to further their education.
Meanwhile, parents and prospective candidates have commended the decision of the Senate, noting that registering for the NIN should be a continuous exercise and that its linkage to the UTME was not necessary as students could still provide their numbers before graduating from schools.
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