Former Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has raised the alarm over what he described as an “unjust and avoidable” hardship being inflicted on students by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Obi, who recently passed through Amawbia in Anambra State, said he was moved to stop when he saw a large crowd of young people gathered outside the JAMB office, with some perched dangerously on the fence.

Curious, he spoke with them and discovered they were there to make course or institution changes — a process normally handled by Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.
Shockingly, Obi learnt that 17 out of the 28 accredited CBT centres in the state had been blacklisted, many without being told the specific reasons beyond the vague explanation of being “under investigation.”

With fewer options, students are now forced to travel long distances, make repeated visits, and pay as much as ₦15,000 for a service that should cost about ₦1,500 — often bloated by unofficial charges.

“These young Nigerians — already under immense pressure — are being pushed to the brink,” Obi said, warning that many risk missing university admission deadlines as post-UTME screenings are already underway.

While acknowledging that JAMB may have valid reasons for sanctioning some centres, he called for a “humane and transparent” approach, suggesting the centres be allowed to operate under strict monitoring until investigations are concluded.

“Education is the hope of our nation. Bureaucratic bottlenecks must not be allowed to crush the dreams of our young people,” he stressed.