The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has responded to criticism from former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, regarding the timing of its 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
Obi had expressed concern over reports that students, some as young as 15, were asked to arrive at exam centers by 6:30 a.m., forcing them to travel in the dark despite Nigeria’s security challenges. He described the situation as “reckless,” warning that the safety of the students could be at risk and questioning who would be held responsible if any harm occurred.
In a statement, JAMB clarified that no exams were scheduled for 6:00 a.m. The board explained that while candidates are expected to arrive early for accreditation and verification processes beginning at 6:30 a.m., the actual exams start at 8:00 a.m. JAMB emphasized that early arrival is necessary to ensure a smooth and timely commencement of the examination.
Beyond the exam timing issue, Obi also used the opportunity to highlight broader problems in Nigeria’s education sector.
He pointed out that Nigeria has only about 200 universities for over 200 million people, a figure he described as grossly inadequate compared to countries like Indonesia, which reportedly has over 4,000 universities for a similar population size. Obi called for urgent reforms to expand access to education and improve student safety.
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