The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced moves to establish a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) centre in Ottawa, Canada.
This center is touted to be used by Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America and to enable them to sit for the examination from 2027.
The board disclosed this in a post on its official social media platforms, following a visit by its Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, to the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa.
JAMB said the proposed centre would provide eligible Nigerians in Canada and other parts of North America with easier access to the UTME, particularly those seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
“The proposed centre will make it easier for Nigerians in the diaspora to sit for the UTME without travelling to Nigeria solely for the examination,” the board said.
Nigerians Question the Move
Nigerians have begun to question the move to establish a JAMB centre in Canada. Many are of the opinion that the demand for the exam in Canada is not enough to justify the establishment of a UTME centre.
Many have begun to demand answers on three datasets from JAMB;
- JAMB’s registration records, broken down by country, to show how many candidates already sit the UTME abroad.
- Admissions data showing how many diaspora-based applicants were admitted to Nigerian universities.
- Population and student-migration figures for Nigerians in Canada and the U.S.
These questions arose because many Nigerian families in Canada and the U.S. are settled and send their children through local schools, colleges, and universities.
Their children are more likely to apply to North American institutions than to sit the UTME.
The likeliest users are families planning a return, students seeking Nigerian degrees, or those combining the exam with a visit home. Whether that group is large enough is the open question. A single Ottawa centre would also be far from many candidates in the U.S., western Canada, or the American South, so “closer to home” is relative.
Below are some of the reactions;
Reasons the Plan could Still Make Sense
Demand may be suppressed precisely because no centre exists. If travelling home is the main barrier, removing it could grow the pool. A centre could also build ties between the diaspora and Nigerian universities, which supporters would call a long-term gain even if early numbers are small. And a modest centre may cost little if it uses rented facilities and existing CBT systems.
Also, the development is not new to JAMB. The board spent the sum of N113.8m on supervision across seven foreign centres where candidates sat the 2025 UTME
The seven foreign centres are situated in Buea, Cameroon, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, London in the United Kingdom, Johannesburg in South Africa, Lomé in Togo, Cotonou in the Benin Republic and Accra, Ghana.
In 2026, JAMB also conducted the foreign component of the 2026 UTME for Nigerians and non-Nigerians seeking admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The examination took place on Friday, 15th and Saturday, 16th May 2026 across designated foreign centres.
The foreign centres are London, United Kingdom; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Banjul, The Gambia; Accra, Ghana; Cotonou, Benin Republic; Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Buea, Cameroon; and Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to JAMB, a total of three hundred seventy-nine (379) candidates registered for the examination across the ten foreign centres.
While responding to criticism of the JAMB center in Canada, Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, explained that the decision to establish the center is a move aimed at expanding access to education rather than generating revenue.
He said: “Hello sir, I think if you want to help the system you aggressively criticise, it should be through constructive engagement and not mudslinging… that you don’t understand something or don’t agree with it doesn’t make everyone incurably mad, as you say.
“- Why are we opening access in Canada? UTME is currently being written in about 10 countries as a service to enhance access to education. We also conduct the exams in correctional service centres for the same reason. So the number of candidates is not the main driving force. Despite multiple centres in Africa, there are no centres in all of North America. Specifically, there have been enquiries from potential candidates, and we expect more following the announcement.
“- Who could be interested? Anyone of the 100s of people who move back yearly for one reason or the other, including the children of many service personnel with tenured postings all around the world.
“- Are we going to buy/rent a building and employ staff there? No! We partner with the Nigerian High Commissions in the various countries. We set up temporary spaces within their premises and use their staff to assist us in running the exams.
“- Has any money been spent on this so far? No! We were in Canada for a conference and decided to use the opportunity to make this arrangement.
“As someone who chose to serve, I will continue to look forward to being held to account by all manner of people, both polite and rude, but we must be objective and fair to people in service; we must be patriotic and promote our country.
“I’m sure in the course of my stewardship, I will give you good reason to drag me and the management. Just not today – we did a good thing.”
