The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has offered to provide biometric verification technology support to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as both federal agencies seek to strengthen institutional collaboration.
The offer was made on Friday, September 4, 2026, when JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, led the Board’s management team on a courtesy visit to INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Aina said JAMB approached INEC as a sister agency with extensive experience in biometric identification and verification, particularly in managing large-scale identification exercises involving millions of Nigerians.
He explained that JAMB was exploring ways to further strengthen the integrity of its examination processes and had learned that INEC possessed biometric verification equipment that might no longer be in active use.
The Registrar therefore appealed to INEC to consider making some of the equipment available to JAMB to enhance its biometric verification capacity.
Responding, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, welcomed the delegation and commended JAMB for its statutory responsibilities, describing the Board as a critical institution in Nigeria’s education system and youth development.
Amupitan said INEC’s recent electoral engagements, including the Anambra and Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and various bye-elections, had demonstrated the Commission’s growing capacity to deploy technology in electoral processes.
According to him, the Commission’s technological innovations had received commendations from key stakeholders, including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the United Kingdom High Commission, particularly regarding the credibility and peaceful conduct of recent elections.
The INEC Chairman consequently directed the Commission’s Director of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Dr. Lawrence Bayode, to review JAMB’s request and conduct a proof-of-concept assessment.
The assessment, he said, would determine the availability, technical condition and suitability of any biometric verification equipment that could potentially be deployed to support JAMB’s operations.
Amupitan described the engagement as a reflection of the growing importance of inter-agency collaboration, stressing the need for government institutions to leverage their expertise, technology and resources to advance national development.
He assured the JAMB delegation that INEC remained willing to explore additional areas of cooperation capable of strengthening the institutional capacity of both agencies to deliver on their respective mandates.
Aina thanked the INEC Chairman and management for the warm reception and reaffirmed JAMB’s commitment to deepening institutional collaboration with the electoral commission.
