The Senate through its committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND declared Friday that budgetary provisions shall be made for establishment of ICT centres across the 774 local government councils in the country.
Speaking to journalists at Aduvie International School, Jahi, Abuja, during monitoring of the ongoing UTME , the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Mohammed Muntari Dandutse ( APC, Katsina South), frowned on the non-existence of the examination centres in some local government area councils of the federation .
He said since the Senate and by extension, the federal government, want Nigerians to study in Nigeria, access for such education through important examinations like UTME should be made easy for them.
“In making it easy for candidates seeking admissions into Universities or other tertiary Institutions through UTME, the ICT centres must be made available in all the 774 local government councils across the country.
“I am from Katsina South Senatorial District where only two out of the eleven local government councils have ICT centres for UTME.
“Since the Examination is computer based , centres for it , need to be made available across the 774 local government councils in the country and in doing this , this committee of the Senate in collaboration with our colleagues in the House of Representatives, shall facilitate budgetary provisions for it in 2026 fiscal year,” he said.
Earlier, in his explanation to members of the committee, the spokesperson of JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, told them that JAMB had 880 ICT centres across the country, but admitted that the centres were not across the 774 local government councils.
“JAMB presently has close to 900 ICT centres across the country and in fact precisely 880 centres which, however, do not cover all the 774 local government councils across the country.
“JAMB shall be happy if the committee facilitates budgetary provisions for establishment of ICT centres in local government councils across the country that are yet to have one,” he said.