The Computer-Based Test Centres Proprietors Association of Nigeria has raised concerns over the ₦700 Computer-Based Test Centre (CBT) Registration Service Charge paid to centres for candidates registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing the amount as “grossly inadequate” amid rising operational costs and logistical demands
The President of the association, Austin Ohaekelem, made this known in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday shortly after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced the disbursement of ₦1.57 billion to accredited CBT centres that participated in the 2026 UTME registration exercise.
In a bulletin issued on Monday, JAMB, through its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed that the payment represents the ₦700 fee collected from candidates on behalf of CBT centres during the registration exercise.
According to the board, the amount is remitted weekly alongside charges related to the UTME ePIN registration.
The bulletin stated, “In line with this arrangement, the Board has remitted a total sum of ₦1,570,671,200 to the CBT centres that participated in the 2026 UTME registration exercise.”
JAMB maintained that its fee structure has remained unchanged since 2018 and warned that centres found overcharging candidates would face sanctions.
The board charges ₦7,200 for UTME only, ₦8,700 for UTME with mock examination, and ₦5,700 for Direct Entry applications.
The fee structure includes Application Fee ₦3,500; Reading Text ₦1,000; CBT Centre Registration Service Charge ₦700; CBT Centre UTME Service Charge ₦1,500; Bank Charges ₦500; and CBT Mock-UTME Centre Charge ₦1,500.
‘₦700 No Longer Reflects Reality’ – Proprietors Protest
However, Ohaekelem argued that the ₦700 service charge no longer reflects the realities of operating CBT centres in the current economic climate.
“The cost of registering a candidate as of 2016, when I joined the CBT programme, was ₦700. Ten years later, it is still ₦700,” he said.
“This is apart from additional requirements, stipulations that change almost every year, and the logistics and tools we need to run these centres. You and I know the cost of living and the inflation rate, yet we are still being asked to charge ₦700.”
Ohaekelem also highlighted the heavy operational expenses associated with running CBT facilities across the country.
“A laptop that can serve for three years costs at least ₦150,000. If I handle 3,000 candidates, that’s ₦2.1 million. Then I pay staff, diesel, rent, service equipment, and repairs,” he said.
He further noted the high cost of renting facilities in major cities.
“In Lagos, a 250-capacity hall will cost no less than ₦3 million per year; in Ebute Metta, my centre can’t go below ₦5 million annually. By the time you account for staff and fuel, the ₦700 registration fee barely covers costs,” Ohaekelem added.
The association’s president also clarified that CBT centres do not collect the registration service charge directly from candidates.
He explained that the centres first remit the money to JAMB before receiving reimbursement from the board.
“What JAMB does is refund the money every week. It’s not like we collect it ourselves. The candidate registers, we pay JAMB, and then we get reimbursed,” Ohaekelem said.
“For the ₦700 service, we were supposed to collect it directly, but they said we should pay it to them first, so it looks like they are paying us a grant. That’s not the reality.”
Ohaekelem also pointed to the growing human resource requirements involved in the registration process and examination management.
