The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reviewed its policy on swapping candidates’ registered GSM numbers and changing registered email addresses, allowing candidates who have genuinely lost access to their SIM cards or email accounts to update their details through a controlled process.

The new arrangement, which takes effect from Monday, is designed to assist candidates who have lost access to their registered GSM numbers, particularly those unable to use the numbers for registration for subsequent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), as well as those whose registered email accounts can no longer be recovered.

The Acting Director, Public Affairs and Protocols, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The Board had previously restricted SIM swapping and email changes as part of measures to protect candidates’ records from fraud and other security vulnerabilities associated with such alterations.

Benjamin, however, said in the statement that the policy was reviewed following the introduction of enhanced security measures, particularly stronger identity and biometric verification processes.

Under the revised arrangement, candidates can request a GSM number swap, email address change, or both, subject to strict authentication procedures.

According to the Board, the concession is intended to reduce the hardship faced by candidates who lose access to their registered credentials and make the processes leading to tertiary education admission more seamless.

JAMB, however, warned that the service would be available only once to each candidate and would be subject to stringent verification designed to prevent impersonation, fraud and unauthorised alteration of candidates’ records.

Part of the statement read: “The service will be available at designated JAMB Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres, including State Offices where applicable.

“Candidates seeking to access the service are required to provide the new GSM number and/or email address, as applicable, as well as a duly executed court affidavit scanned and ready for upload.

How to access the service

According to JAMB, candidates are required to log into their e-Facility profiles using their existing credentials, including their email address, registration number or profile code.

“They are then expected to select ‘SIM Swap/eMail Change Payment’ from the menu and pay the prescribed fee.

“After payment, candidates are to proceed to a JAMB CBT Centre and access the SIM Swap/eMail Change Quicklink.

“At the centre, they will enter their profile code or existing GSM number and click ‘Fetch Details’, after which they will undergo biometric verification.

“The candidate will then select the required service — GSM number only, email address only, or both GSM number and email address — before entering the new details and uploading the scanned court affidavit.

“The process is completed by clicking ‘Update’, after which a confirmation message will be displayed upon successful completion,” JAMB stated.

The Board advised candidates to use the service strictly for genuine cases and patronise only designated CBT centres.

JAMB further noted that the reviewed policy was part of its effort to balance strong data security with candidate-friendly service delivery, ensuring that genuine candidates are not unnecessarily disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control.

By David Torough, Abuja

The Management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the passage of the newspaper’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief, John Danusa Ocholi.

Ocholi, a veteran Sports Journalist died yesterday afternoon after a protracted illness.

He was 65.

His death comes four days after the Newspaper lost its Politics Editor, Mike Odiakose after a brief illness. Odiakose is yet to be buried.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the Newspaper, Dr Cletus Akwaya in a statement last night said the family confirmed the demise of the foremost journalist.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the demise of our colleague, our pioneer Editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, John Danusa Ocholi”, Akwaya wrote in the statement adding “ we shall  miss him dearly”.

The Publisher said “Ocholi was a very dedicated person to the cause of the paper. He was the pioneer Editor, who did quite a lot to take the paper off the ground from inception and remained steadfast through difficult times in the bid to nurture the paper to maturity” Akwaya said.

“We are grateful to God for the gift of Ocholi, who was a team player, motivator and mentor, always full of smiles to reduce tensions in times of difficulties” the Publisher further stated.

He said the Management would await further information from the family on the unfortunate incident.

An indigene of Dekina LGA of Kogi state, Ocholi joined Daily Asset at inception as pioneer Editor in 2017. He was promoted to Managing Editor and then Deputy Editor- in- Chief, the position he held until 2023 when he had health challenges, which made him proceed on sick leave.

He joined DAILY ASSET from Daily Pilot where he worked as Editor of the Weekend Pilot and Deputy Editor of the Daily Pilot. He joined the Nigerian Pilot from Verbatim Magazine, where he served as Editor.

A graduate of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, 1983,

Ocholi began his journalism career with The Voice Newspaper in Makurdi, Benue State as Sports Reporter. He rose to the position of Sports Editor before he voluntarily resigned and joined Champion Newspapers in Lagos as a Sports Journalist. He rose through various positions and eventually became Editor of the highly respected Sporting Champion, Nigeria’s most respected weekly Sports Newspaper in the 1990s in the stable of Champion Newspapers Group.

In 2002, when the acclaimed South African soccer magazine Kick-Off launched its Nigerian edition, Ocholi was appointed to assist the head editor, Kunle Solaja.He later became the Magazine’s Editor before it stopped production.

He also worked at the Newswatch Magazine as Associate Editor and Head of Sports Desk, where he wrote very impactful stories on Nigerian sports and anchored highly celebrated interviews for the famous magazine.

In the course of his career, he covered major international sporting events including Many editions of the Senior and junior Football   World Cups, African Cup of Nations (AFCON), international Club engagements, Commonwealth Games amongst others. He was clearly one of the nation’s most renowned Sports journalists.

 In 2010, he was selected as a key member of the official Media Sub-Committee appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to oversee Nigeria’s media contingent and operations during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

A community development enthusiast, he was elected as the pioneer president of the Igala Journalists Forum

He left behind his wife and children.

Eight years after commencing operations in Nigeria, OPay continues to build, innovate and serve, using technology to make financial services simpler, more accessible, and more inclusive for Nigerians.

For some Nigerians, OPay is an app on their phone.

For others, it is the money that arrived when they needed it, the electricity bill they paid just in time, the data they bought for school or work, or the payment that helped a business stay open for another day. For eight years, OPay has been part of these everyday moments that matter.

Since commencing operations in Nigeria in 2018, OPay has remained focused on one clear mission: using technology to make financial services more inclusive.

Eight years later, that commitment remains as strong as ever.

It started with one transaction

Mrs Saliu Oluwabukola’s OPay journey began in 2019. She had seen OPay on social media and decided to download the app. Curious about how it worked, she made her first transfer. “It entered,” she recalls.

She then transferred the money from her OPay account to her commercial bank account and was impressed by how quickly the transaction was completed. That first experience led to many more. From buying airtime and data to paying electricity bills, OPay gradually became part of her everyday life.

She remembers a time when electricity officials would arrive to disconnect service at her property for an unpaid bill. With OPay, she could quickly pay her bill, send the receipt and resolve the issue. What started as a simple transfer became something much bigger: convenience, confidence and trust.

“I trust OPay now with any amount,” she says. That is the kind of relationship OPay has built over the years: one transaction and one experience at a time.

From getting there to getting things done

For Dahiru Haruna from Ojo, OPay first became familiar to him around 2020, when he was serving as a corps member in Ondo State. He had heard about ORide and decided to try it when he travelled back to Lagos.

After completing his ride, the payment was deducted through OPay. His reaction captured something bigger than the transaction itself.

“Wow, we are progressing. Nigeria is moving with OPay.”

That moment reflects the changing face of financial services in Nigeria, from cash-dependent transactions to faster, simpler digital experiences that fit into everyday people’s lives. Over the years, OPay has continued to expand beyond payments, providing Nigerians with access to transfers, airtime and data, bill payments, cards, savings and other digital financial services.

Being there when it matters

For Latifat Ajoke Muftau, OPay became more than a financial service at a moment when she needed help. One day, she tried to withdraw money from an ATM. She was debited but did not receive the cash. It was the only money she had.

Stranded and worried, a neighbour introduced her to OPay. She downloaded the app, registered with her phone number and was able to receive the money almost immediately after opening her account.

“Money just entered. I was like, ah. This is easy.” That experience changed how she managed her money.

What she initially used for data, airtime and transfers has grown into a wider financial relationship. Today, she uses OPay for subscriptions and other everyday needs. Her experience is a reminder of what financial inclusion can mean in real life: having another way to access and manage money when you need it most.

Watch the full experience on YouTube from early OPay customers – https://youtu.be/2Xd9GOCApLk

Eight years of building with Nigeria

These stories are part of a much bigger journey. OPay’s Nigerian journey began with the acquisition of a Central Bank of Nigeria licensed Mobile Money Operator, Paycom, providing a foundation for its financial services operations in the country. Since then, OPay has continued to expand its capabilities and today also holds a National MFB licence.

Over the past eight years, OPay has continued to evolve with Nigerians’ needs, expanding from digital payments and transfers to merchant services, cards, savings, security solutions and other financial services. The company has continued to invest in technology, customer support and security as more Nigerians embrace digital finance.

Beyond transactions, OPay is investing in people and communities. Its ₦1.2 billion, 10-year scholarship commitment is supporting young Nigerians with access to education. Its wider social impact programmes have also focused on youth development, women’s empowerment, skills development and community support.

Still here, still building

Eight years is a significant milestone. It represents eight years of changing customer needs, evolving technology, new opportunities and new challenges. Through it all, OPay has continued to learn, improve and build. The journey from a payment app to a broader digital financial services platform reflects the changing needs of Nigerians and the growing role of technology in everyday life. But one thing has remained constant: the commitment to Nigeria.

Today, OPay continues to serve customers, support businesses, enable digital payments and make financial services more accessible to people across the country. And the reason is simple, because behind every transaction is a person – a student buying data, a parent paying a bill, a trader receiving payment, a business owner serving a customer, a Nigerian simply trying to make life a little easier.

For eight years, OPay has been part of those moments, and many more are to come. Eight years on, OPay is still Okay.

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