By VERONICA DARIYA

Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has reiterated that only studying hard allowed candidates to pass examinations and not cheating.

The registrar gave the advice while speaking with newsmen during an assessment of the 2025 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Thursday, at the Board Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.

Oloyede said that no fewer than 211, 000 candidates sat for the mock examination nationwide on Thursday and the board was working relentlessly to ensure the process prepared the system for the main examination.

He said the exercise, which gave candidates an opportunity to test their ability to sit for the examination proper, also gave the board the time to test and try new methods that could address infraction.

“We are trying new things, new experiments that can reveal other things and also to test the system, which is the purpose of the mock, so that we take lessons from the mock to the examination proper.

“One thing is essential, we need to let the students know that the best way to pass examination, UTME in particular, is to study; any other way will not work, people are just making money out of them.

“We are aware of some rogue websites asking people to pay up to N30,000 for assistance and that they can help, it cannot work and that is cheating,” he said.

“We have also opened our own rogue websites and as at this morning, about 180 students have paid into the account for assistance.

“This attempt to cheat is already an infraction and those who paid into those accounts, looking for questions, would be firmly dealt with,” he said.

He also recalled urging candidates not to register for the examination by proxy or share their registration number with anybody.

This, he added, was to avoid falling victim to the unscrupulous mischief makers, as well as all types of malpractice and fraudulent activities.

“We are abreast of all these methods used to cut corners and we are doing everything possible to handle it.

“We will cancel the results of all those we find wanting, both for UTME and the ones you give your registration number to anybody and they have submitted it to a rogue station, you are culpable,” Oloyede said.

The registrar also noted that so far, the exercise had been smooth and results of candidates who sat for the mock examination would be ready and released on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2025 UTME is scheduled to begin April 25. (NAN)