By Ghazali Ibrahim
Over 500 candidates were on Friday, June 13, informed that they would not be able to sit for the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) entrance examination scheduled for Saturday, due to the failure of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, to complete their registrations.
The affected students had reportedly paid the mandatory registration fee of N4,100 — N3,000 for the NABTEB exam PIN and N1,100 for the service charge to FSTC Yaba, which was designated as the only registration centre in Lagos State for the exercise.
However, on the day designated for the collection of exam photo cards, candidates were told by school officials that their registration had not been completed, thereby disqualifying them from participating in the exam.
The school’s principal and vice principal (Technical) attributed the failure to a shortage of manpower, portal issues on NABTEB’s end, and the unavailability of registration PINs.
Parents and guardians who accompanied their children to the centre expressed outrage, describing the development as a betrayal of trust.
Some demanded refunds, while others insisted that the students must be registered, citing the psychological and emotional toll of the last-minute disqualification.
One of the concerned stakeholders, Okulaja Olawale Kehinde, who raised public awareness about the issue, called on the Federal Ministry of Education and NABTEB to intervene urgently.
“These students and their parents fulfilled all requirements and trusted the process. It is only fair that NABTEB and the authorities take responsibility and provide a remedial solution,” Kehinde said.
He also called for an independent investigation into the operations at FSTC Yaba and urged NABTEB to consider organising a make-up registration and exam session for the affected candidates.
Many of the students had travelled from different parts of Lagos and neighboring states to register at the centre, which could not handle the overwhelming number of applications assigned to it.
As of press time, there has been no official statement from NABTEB or the Federal Ministry of Education regarding the incident.
Affected families are calling for urgent redress, warning that failure to act may amount to denying hundreds of young Nigerians access to skills-based education that could shape their future careers.
