‘Students cannot suffer for your failures’ – Peter Obi warns JAMB

Peter Obi has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to ensure that students are not made to suffer due to administrative lapses in the registration process for its examinations.

Obi’s reaction followed reports of persistent hardship faced by candidates at various registration centres across the country, particularly at the Amawbia office of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Anambra State.

According to him, concerns had been raised last year after several Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres were reportedly proscribed over alleged infractions, resulting in overcrowding and confusion at JAMB’s state offices.

He noted that expectations were high that corrective measures would be introduced to address the situation, but observed during a recent visit to the Amawbia office that the same challenges still persist.

Obi further stated that inquiries revealed similar experiences in other states, as candidates continue to grapple with delays and limited access to registration facilities.

While acknowledging that authorities may have legitimate reasons for sanctioning erring centres, he urged JAMB to adopt a more humane and balanced approach in managing the situation.

He suggested that centres currently under investigation could be allowed to offer limited services under strict monitoring to prevent further infractions, while temporarily reactivating previously approved centres to ease the pressure on existing facilities.

With the registration deadline approaching, Obi warned that many candidates who travel from distant communities — some of whom reportedly sleep overnight in Awka to secure access — risk missing the examination through no fault of theirs.

He stressed that students should not be made to bear the consequences of systemic failures, calling for urgent and compassionate intervention to ensure that no candidate’s academic future is jeopardised by avoidable administrative bottlenecks.