Must Read
A wave of frustration has swept through Anambra State as many students seeking to make changes to their JAMB course or institution choices are left stranded. Former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has raised alarm over what he describes as a needless hardship being imposed on young Nigerians.
Mr Obi said he witnessed the suffering first-hand when he passed through Amawbia recently. According to him, a large crowd of students had gathered outside the JAMB office, with some even climbing the fence to get inside. Shocked by the sight, he stopped to speak with some of them. They told him they were there for simple services that should normally be available at designated CBT centres.
But the truth, as Mr Obi later discovered, is that most of the CBT centres in the state have stopped providing these services. Out of 28 JAMB-approved CBT centres in Anambra, 17 have been blacklisted. Many of these centres were not even told exactly why, except that they were “under investigation.”
The result is that students now have to travel long distances from remote communities just to reach the JAMB state office. Some of them have made as many as five wasted trips before getting any attention. To make matters worse, a process that used to cost around ₦1,500 at the centres is now costing up to ₦15,000 at the JAMB office. Many claim that the new cost is inflated by unofficial fees, making the burden even heavier for struggling families.
For these students, the financial pain is only part of the problem. The delays mean that many have missed deadlines for transferring to their preferred schools. Several universities have already started post-UTME screening, leaving these young people in a desperate situation. Their academic dreams now hang in the balance.
Mr Obi pointed out that this is happening at a time when Nigerians are battling high food prices, rising insecurity, and severe unemployment. Parents are already stretched thin, struggling to provide for their homes. For them to now face extra costs and wasted trips just to process JAMB services is, in his words, “both unjust and avoidable.”
While JAMB may have genuine reasons for blacklisting some centres, Mr Obi believes the approach has been too harsh. He asked whether it would not be better to allow these centres to continue offering the services under strict supervision while investigations are ongoing.
He stressed that education is the hope of the nation and should be protected at all costs. In his appeal, he called on JAMB to act with compassion and efficiency, putting the welfare of students first before bureaucracy.
The cry from Amawbia is a cry for change — not just in policy, but in the way the system treats the future of Nigeria. For the students waiting under the hot sun and hanging on the fence of the JAMB office, the cost is not only counted in naira, but also in lost opportunities and broken dreams.
Prudentj2.com discovered that, the suffering faced by these students is not just about inconvenience. It is about lost time, wasted money, and the crushing of dreams. Many of the young people standing under the scorching sun at Amawbia told me they had travelled from far-off communities like Ihiala, Ayamelum, and Anambra West. Some had spent as much as ₦5,000 to ₦8,000 on transport alone for each trip. Others had to borrow money from friends or family just to keep making the journey.
In a country where millions of families struggle to feed daily, the extra burden of these unnecessary expenses is heart-breaking. Some parents who could barely pay their children’s school fees now find themselves spending up to ₦20,000 or more just to process a simple change of institution or course. This is money that could have bought food, paid for books, or helped with rent.
Beyond the financial pain, there is also the emotional toll. Many students spoke with tears in their eyes. They feared that the delay might cost them their admission this year. Some universities have already closed their post-UTME registration, while others are on the verge of doing so. One young lady, Blessing from Nnewi, said she had been to the JAMB office six times without success. She worried that her dream of studying nursing was slipping away, simply because of administrative delays and lack of access to affordable services.
The irony is that this is happening in a country where leaders frequently talk about investing in education and empowering the youth. Yet here are thousands of young Nigerians, the very people who should be our future engineers, doctors, teachers, and innovators, being left stranded and disillusioned.
From a broader perspective, such policies and lapses have a ripple effect on the economy. Education is directly tied to human capital development, and human capital is the engine of any nation’s growth. Every student who loses an academic year due to avoidable bureaucratic delays represents a loss not only to themselves and their families but to Nigeria’s overall progress.
It is therefore urgent that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board rethinks its approach. While it may be important to maintain strict standards and investigate irregularities at CBT centres, these actions should never be carried out in a way that punishes innocent students. If some centres must be suspended, JAMB should provide clear reasons and create alternative options that are equally accessible and affordable.
At this difficult time in our nation’s history, when inflation is eating deep into incomes and unemployment remains alarmingly high, the government and its agencies must work to ease the burdens on citizens, not add to them. For the students in Amawbia and across Nigeria, the plea is simple: let education be a bridge to a better life, not another hurdle that crushes hope.
If these issues are not addressed quickly, the dreams of many young Nigerians may be permanently damaged. And when hope dies in the hearts of the youth, the future of any nation becomes uncertain.
