In order to encourage openness and merit-based admissions, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board claims that it has given tertiary institutions more than N2.4 billion through its NATAP-M grants.
Via its National Tertiary Admissions Performance–Merit Awards (NATAP-M), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has awarded N2.42 billion to Nigerian universities during the last nine years.
At a meeting with State Commissioners of Education in Lagos, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Board’s Registrar, revealed this.
During his presentation, Oloyede clarified that the NATAP-M prize, which was created in 2018, was intended to promote merit-based, open, and equitable admission procedures among postsecondary institutions while also encouraging rigorous adherence to national admission rules.
He noted that N125 million was given out in the awards’ inaugural year in 2018. This went up to N500 million in 2020 after rising to N375 million in 2019.
He claims that a combined award ceremony for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 sessions raised the prize money higher and disbursed a total of N710 million. In a second combined session for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 cycles, the same sum was given out in sectoral awards, with N500 million going to the top-performing institution overall.
According to Prof. Oloyede, organizations have used the money for worthwhile projects including building roads, creating Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers, building hostels, improving infrastructure, and fixing facilities.
He gave instances, stating that Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria built access roads and the University of Ilorin invested award funding to develop the JAMB Merit Award International Hostel.
The JAMB Merit prize-Spider FM Radio Station, a medical laboratory, and the renovation of Kaduna Polytechnic’s administration block—all dubbed in honor of the prize—were established with the help of the award funds.
The Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbesa, which built a multi-million-naira CBT center, and the Federal University, Wukari, which used its cash for infrastructure development and access roads, are two other recipients.
