The 2023 presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to swiftly resolve the challenges confronting candidates registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination,, cautioning that students should not bear the brunt of administrative lapses.
Obi expressed his concerns after witnessing heavy congestion and confusion at JAMB’s office in Amawbia, Anambra State.
He noted that reports of similar difficulties have surfaced in other parts of the country.
According to him, the disruption appears to be connected to the recent proscription of some computer-based test centres over alleged violations.
While conceding that regulatory authorities may have valid grounds to sanction erring centres, the former Anambra State governor appealed to the examination body to pursue a more measured and humane approach.
He proposed that centres currently under investigation could be allowed to operate on a restricted basis under strict supervision to guard against further breaches.
Obi also advised that where the approval process for new centres might delay relief efforts, JAMB could temporarily reactivate previously accredited centres, placing them under close monitoring to ease the pressure on its state offices.
“With the registration deadline approaching, many candidates, some travelling long distances and even spending nights away from home, risk missing the examination through no fault of their own.
“Students cannot be made to suffer the failings of a system to which we have all, in one way or another, contributed. Swift and compassionate intervention should be made to ensure that no young person’s academic future is jeopardised by avoidable administrative bottlenecks,” Obi said.
