By Uzo Ugwunze
For students whose hopes of entering higher institutions depend on NECO or NABTEB results, the ongoing 2026/2027 admission exercise has raised fresh concerns over whether they will have enough time to present their credentials before admission windows close.
The Owners of Private Schools Association of Nigeria (OPSAN) has consequently called on the Federal Government to suspend the admission process until all outstanding O’Level results are released.
OPSAN made the demand in a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Uzochukwu Solomon Nwanonyuo, following a stakeholders’ meeting on Sept. 21. The association said its concern was based on reports that universities had begun, and in some cases concluded, Post-UTME and admission processes while some examination results remained outstanding.
The association specifically pointed to candidates awaiting results from the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), arguing that these students could be disadvantaged if institutions proceed with admissions before the results become available.
OPSAN said the concern was particularly relevant to students from technical colleges, Federal Science and Technical Colleges, vocational institutions and commercial schools, who may rely on NECO and NABTEB results when applying for tertiary admission.
The association said some 2025/2026 WAEC results remained outstanding in some schools, while NECO and NABTEB results had not yet been released. These claims were attributed to OPSAN in reports of its Sept. 21 statement; the association did not provide a nationwide breakdown of the number of affected candidates or institutions.
OPSAN alleged that some federal universities had already concluded admission processes for certain professional programmes while candidates awaiting NECO and NABTEB results were still unable to present their credentials. It did not identify those institutions in the statement reported by the media.
The association therefore appealed to the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, to intervene and direct the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to suspend the admission exercise pending the release of all outstanding O’Level results.
It urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to ask universities to suspend Post-UTME and related admission processes until candidates have access to results from recognised examination bodies.
JAMB’s published information confirms that applications for the 2026/2027 academic session are being processed and that its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) provides for candidates with awaiting O’Level results to upload them before being considered for admission.
OPSAN called on WAEC to provide a comprehensive list of candidates who sat for the 2025/2026 examination and urged NECO and NABTEB to expedite the release of their results.
The association maintained that its demand is intended to ensure that candidates are not disadvantaged by differences in the timing of results from recognised examination bodies, urging admission authorities to give affected students sufficient opportunity to present their credentials.
Uzo Ugwunze is of the Anambra State Ministry of Information and Value Reformation
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