From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
No fewer than 4,370 medical personnel, mostly doctors and nurses, participated in the maiden selection exam for medical personnel who wants to be part for medical team for 2017 pilgrimage exercise.
The team would be responsible for medical care to pilgrims all through their stay in the holy land.
The selection exam conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was basically to test the medical and scriptural knowledge of the personnel and select from among them, 250 most qualified ones that would be attached to pilgrims all through the period of the exercise this year.
Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), Tor Uja, who monitored the exercise at JAMB Computer Base Test (CBT) centre in Abuja on Saturday, expressed satisfaction with the exercise.
Represented by NCPC board member, Dr. David Aturo, he said the NCPC introduced the exam as against the previous practice to give equal opportunity to all and promote competence and merit as against previous practice of “who know man”.
He admitted that the system was previously characterized with nepotism and godfatherism but the new management of NCPC decided to do it differently this time, in addition to other concrete but transparent steps to correct the anomalies that hitherto gave advantage to mediocrity.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, represented by the Director, Special Duties, Olujide Adisa, told journalists that being a special exam, the questions were set by medical council and moderated by JAMB in accordance with global standard.
He said that the level of transparency in the entire process was unprecedented, including the result of the selection exam which the score of every candidate was boldly displayed at the monitor once the candidate submits the answered questions.