Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to adopt a more compassionate and transparent approach in handling the blacklisting of some Computer-Based Test centres across the country.
Obi, in a statement via his X handle on Friday titled “JAMB: A Plea for Compassion”, recounted his recent encounter with a large crowd of students outside the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State. He said the students, some perched on the fence, told him they were there to make changes to their courses or institutions but could not access such services at most CBT centres.
“Out of 28 JAMB-approved CBT centres in Anambra State, 17 have been blacklisted. Sadly, many of the affected centres were not even informed of the specific reasons behind this action,” Obi said, adding that the explanation given to the centres was the vague phrase “under investigation.”
He expressed concern that the action had forced many students to travel long distances, sometimes repeatedly, to the JAMB state office, where the cost of processing changes had reportedly risen from about ₦1,500 at accredited centres to as high as ₦15,000—often inflated by unofficial fees.
“These young Nigerians—already grappling with immense pressure—now face even greater financial, physical, and emotional strain. The challenges they confront have prevented many from transferring to their preferred institutions, placing their academic futures at serious risk,” Obi said.
He noted that the situation was worsening at a time of economic hardship, rising insecurity, and high youth unemployment, stressing that “students and their parents must not suffer so needlessly.”
While acknowledging that JAMB may have valid reasons for blacklisting some centres, Obi urged the board to consider a more humane alternative, such as allowing the centres to operate under strict monitoring until investigations are concluded.
“Education remains the hope of our nation. We must not allow bureaucratic bottlenecks and opacity to derail the dreams of our young people,” he said.
punch
