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.
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