Fresh concerns are mounting across Nigeria as graduates accuse the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board of enforcing a rigid name correction policy that they say is preventing many from participating in the National Youth Service Corps scheme and delaying employment opportunities.
Some of the affected graduates say discrepancies between names on their JAMB records, National Identification Number (NIN), and university portals have become a major obstacle during NYSC mobilisation, despite successful corrections on other official documents.
Under the current policy, JAMB reportedly permits only limited adjustments such as minor spelling corrections or rearrangement of names, while rejecting full name changes even after such changes have been validated by the National Identity Management Commission and educational institutions.
Temiloluwa Okundalaye of Ekiti State University, who was affected described the policy as a growing national problem affecting students and graduates seeking NYSC mobilisation.
According to her, the issue began after she used details from her NIN during JAMB registration years ago, unaware that discrepancies in her middle name would later create complications.
“The middle name on my NIN then was different and I used it to register for JAMB. At that time, I felt that with court affidavit and other supporting documents, it could always be corrected later,” she said.
She explained that after discovering the inconsistency, she approached NIMC and successfully corrected the name on her NIN using supporting documents, including a court affidavit.
However, efforts to update the same correction on her JAMB profile reportedly failed. “I went to the JAMB office after correcting my NIN, thinking the correction would also be possible there since JAMB registration was linked to NIN. But I was told they do not accept full names,” she said.
Okundalaye further stated that she was later issued a corrected form which was endorsed by her institution and forwarded to JAMB through the Vice Chancellor’s office, but the request was eventually rejected. “I got a message later that it was not approved because I did not have enough evidence. Since then, nothing has changed,” she added.
She lamented that the unresolved discrepancy has left many graduates stranded and unable to proceed for NYSC.
“Your JAMB name must tally with your NIN and university portal before NYSC will approve you. My university portal has been corrected, my NIN has also been corrected, but JAMB is still the issue.
“Now somebody’s life is on hold because of a mistake made years ago. Most organisations request a NYSC certificate before employment, so this affects people’s future and livelihood,” she said.
Okundalaye urged JAMB to create a more flexible and structured verification process that would allow affected candidates to regularise their records through biometric confirmation, affidavits and other legal documents.
“The thumbprint used during registration can still confirm that the same person is requesting the correction,” she said.
To buttress this, checks on X, formerly known as X, showed that several Nigerians have raised similar complaints about difficulties linked to JAMB name corrections and NYSC mobilisation.
One user, identified as @richvrdsi, wrote, “I have not been able to serve for almost three years because of this. I want to change my middle name on JAMB to what is on my NIN.”
Another user, @Doree, described the process of aligning her JAMB, BVN and NIN records ahead of NYSC as stressful and financially draining.
Others also recounted difficulties involving admission letters, post-marriage surname changes and repeated verification exercises without resolution.
The growing outcry has sparked renewed calls for JAMB to review its policy and introduce a transparent framework that would help genuine candidates resolve identity discrepancies without jeopardising their academic and career progression.
