351,022 candidates registered as South East records low figures
By Gabriel Dike
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says 351, 022 candidates have registered in the last two weeks for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Out of the figures, 92, 196 candidates indicated interest to write the UTME Mock scheduled for March 16th, 2023 while 258, 826 candidates registered without Mock.
A breakdown of the statistics showed Lagos top the chart with 51, 533, followed by Kaduna 28, 104, Federal Capital Territory 27, 854, Rivers 19, 313, Oyo 16, 924, Nasarawa 16, 117 and Ogun 15, 487.
The traditional South East states that record high number of candidates are trailing behind in the 2023 UTME while Northern states such as Kaduna, Nasarawa and Taraba recorded higher figures in the ongoing UTME registration.
The state registration statistics are Abia 1, 800, Adamawa 4, 723, Akwa-Ibom 6, 707, Anambra 4, 943, Bauchi 3, 627, Bayelsa 1, 669, Benue 14,797, Borno 3, 767, Cross River 6, 971, Delta 8, 146, Ebonyi 2, 016, Edo 2, 018, Ekiti 4,461, Enugu 4, 758, Gombe 3,594, Imo 3, 915, Jigawa 2, 170, Kano 8, 932, Katsina 4, 132, Kebbi 3, 031, Kogi 11, 341, Kwara 10, 378.
Others include Niger 9, 833, Ondo 9,687, Osun 8, 386, Plateau 10,385, Sokoto 1, 435, Yobe 2, 546 and Zamfara 1, 260.
The board set different dates for UTME and Direct Entry candidates. UTME candidates would register first between January 14th and February 14th 2023, while DE candidates would register from February 20th to April 20th 2023, at JAMB Professional Registration Centres (PRC) only.
Optional Mock examination would hold on Thursday, March 16th, 2023 while the conduct of UTME is scheduled for Saturday, April 29th to Monday, May 12th, 2023.