NATAP-M Awards: JAMB Allocates Over N2.4bn to Tertiary Institutions in Nine Years – Oloyede
Through its NATAP-M grants, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board claims to have given tertiary institutions more than N2.4 billion in order to support openness and merit-based admissions.
Through its National Tertiary Admissions Performance–Merit Awards (NATAP-M), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has awarded N2.42 billion to higher education institutions in Nigeria in the last nine years.
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Board’s Registrar, revealed this during a meeting with State Commissioners of Education in Lagos.
During his presentation, Oloyede clarified that the NATAP-M prize, which was created in 2018, was intended to promote merit-based, open, and equitable admissions procedures among postsecondary institutions while also encouraging rigorous adherence to national admission rules.
He noted that N125 million was given out during the awards’ inaugural year in 2018. In 2019, this climbed to N375 million, and in 2020, it reached N500 million.
He claims that during a combined award ceremony for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 rounds, the prize money was adjusted increased and a total of N710 million was distributed. The top-performing institution overall received N500 million during a second combined session for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 cycles, which was reorganized into sectoral prizes.
According to Prof. Oloyede, organizations have used the money for worthwhile projects including building roads, developing 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 built a hostel called the JAMB Merit Award International Hostel using award cash.
The JAMB Merit prize-Spider FM Radio Station, a medical laboratory, and the renovation of Kaduna Polytechnic’s administration building—all dubbed in honor of the prize—were established using the award funds.
Other recipients include the Federal University in Wukari, which used its funds to build access roads and infrastructure, and the Ogun State Institute of Technology in Igbesa, which built a CBT center worth millions of naira.
