Rotimi, who is representing Ekiti North 1 federal constituency, also charged JAMB to conduct UTME twice a year
Kehinde Okeowo
A House of Representatives member, representing Ekiti North 1 federal constituency, Akin Rotimi, has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to extend the validity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results to three years.
According to TheCable, the lawmaker, who also charged the examination body to conduct the UTME at least twice a year, advised JAMB to “rethink” the arrangement to meet global standards.
Rotimi, who moved the motion on the floor of the House on Wednesday, further said the proposed bill “would bring immediate relief to students and their parents/sponsors, who bear the burden of paying every year for the exam, as well as give candidates multiple windows to sit for the exam in a year”.
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According to him, there is nothing in the act which established JAMB that forbids it from immediately carrying out the resolutions of the house on the subject.
The federal lawmaker went on to say the House has adopted a motion seeking to establish an ad-hoc committee to discuss the resolution with JAMB and other relevant authorities.
He said: “In addition to passing my motion, the honourable house also passed a motion for an additional prayer moved by Hon. Olumide Osoba, establishing an ad-hoc committee of the house to liaise with the authorities of JAMB and the ministry of education to ensure the resolution is expeditiously carried out.”
Prior to this development, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Oyo state, had moved a similar bill during the 9th assembly.
However, the bill — which sought extension of UTME’s validity to four years — was stalled after the second reading.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has ordered JAMB to suspend all actions against embattled Anambra schoolgirl, Mmesoma Ejikeme, who recently forged her UTME.
The lower chamber of the National Assembly gave the directive on Wednesday, July 5 after Hon. Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante sponsored a bill calling on the House to investigate the alleged manipulation.