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Former presidential candidate faults lack of transparency in centre closures
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Says students face higher costs and long travel to process changes
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Calls for monitored operations while investigations continue
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to adopt a more compassionate and transparent approach in handling the blacklisting of several Computer-Based Test centres across Nigeria. In a statement posted on his X handle on Friday, titled JAMB: A Plea for Compassion, Obi recounted meeting a large crowd of students outside the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State, where many said they could not access services at most CBT centres.
He revealed that out of 28 JAMB-approved centres in Anambra State, 17 had been blacklisted, with affected operators told only that they were “under investigation” without clear reason.
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The development, he said, has forced students to travel long distances—sometimes repeatedly—to the JAMB state office, where the cost of processing course or institution changes had risen from about ₦1,500 at accredited centres to as much as ₦15,000, inflated by unofficial charges.
Obi expressed concern that the measure was compounding the financial, physical, and emotional strain on young Nigerians, preventing many from transferring to their preferred institutions and threatening their academic futures amid economic hardship, rising insecurity, and high youth unemployment. He acknowledged that JAMB may have valid reasons for its action but urged the board to consider allowing affected centres to operate under strict monitoring until investigations are concluded.
