Recent developments have unfolded concerning both visa application processes for Nigerians seeking to travel to the United States and the registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Nigeria. These events highlight significant administrative and technological challenges, as well as efforts to maintain the integrity of educational assessments.

US Visa Application Glitches and Resolution

The US Department of State has acknowledged and addressed technical glitches that impacted visa application processes for Nigerian applicants. These glitches, attributed to a partial system outage, significantly disrupted consular operations in Nigeria, leading to rescheduling of interviews for affected applicants. According to Jennifer Johnson, Press Officer at the Bureau of Consular Affairs, applicants who had their interviews affected by the outage will be contacted to reschedule. The technical issues arose following the transition to a new visa appointment system aimed at streamlining the scheduling process at the Abuja embassy and Lagos consulate.

The new system, intended to make visa appointments more accessible and transparent, initially presented challenges such as delays in securing appointments and processing applications. Additionally, the removal of the “drop box” visa renewal option in February 2025, which previously allowed eligible applicants to renew visas without in-person interviews, added to the complications and increased wait times. Despite these initial setbacks, the US Mission stated it was aware of the challenges and has since reported that the glitches have been resolved, with consular operations returning to normal. Impacted visa applicants are expected to be notified regarding their rescheduled interviews.

JAMB's 2025 UTME Registration and Anti-Cheating Measures

In other news, The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced the successful registration of 2,030,627 candidates for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This figure represents the highest number of applications in the history of the UTME, surpassing the 1.9 million applicants in 2024. The registration period, which commenced on February 3 and concluded on March 8, saw a significant number of candidates expressing interest in the optional mock UTME, scheduled for April 5, 2025. According to JAMB, 200,115 candidates registered for the mock examination.

With the registration phase completed, JAMB is now focused on ensuring the integrity of the examination process. The board has implemented innovative measures to prevent cheating, leading to the arrest of candidates attempting to use forged A-level results for admission. JAMB has cautioned candidates against engaging in any form of malpractice, emphasizing that strict monitoring systems have been put in place to detect and penalize fraud. Candidates have been strongly advised to adhere to examination rules and regulations.

JAMB has clarified that UTME registration is separate from school-based exams like WAEC and NECO, urging stakeholders to acknowledge this distinction and adhere to its registration protocols. The main UTME exam is scheduled to commence on April 25 and conclude on May 5, while sales of application documents for Direct Entry will start by March 10 and close by April 7.