Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for urgent intervention to address the deepening chaos at Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registration centres across Nigeria, warning that students must not be made to pay for system failures.
Obi made the call in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Monday, responding to concerns about the severe hardship students are facing at various registration centres nationwide.
The former Anambra State Governor specifically highlighted the situation at the Amawbia, Anambra State, office of JAMB, where confusion and overcrowding have persisted following the proscription of several Computer Based Test centres over alleged infractions. He said he had expected corrective measures to follow the shutdown of the centres.
"Sadly, as I passed there again last Friday, I met the same crowd and confusion. Upon further inquiry, I was informed that similar situations exist in some other states across Nigeria," he stated.
Obi acknowledged that authorities may have valid reasons for sanctioning centres but urged a more balanced and humane approach. He suggested that centres under investigation could be allowed to continue offering limited services under strict monitoring to prevent further lapses. "If it is difficult to approve new centres quickly, the authorities could still make temporary use of previously approved centres under close supervision to ease the pressure on state offices," he said.
With registration ending on 26 February, Obi warned that the consequences are serious. "Many candidates travel from distant villages, some even sleeping in Awka, to secure access. If nothing urgent is done, some will miss the examination, not for lack of preparation, but because the system failed them," he said.
He insisted that students cannot be made to suffer for the failings of a system to which everyone has, in one way or another, contributed. "What is required now is not blame, but swift and compassionate intervention to ensure that no young person's future is jeopardised by avoidable administrative bottlenecks," Obi stated.
