Obi’s JAMB Exam Time Firestorm Sparks Safety Debate

A fierce row has erupted over the safety of Nigeria’s young students as Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, slams the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for allegedly forcing teenagers to brave dangerous early-morning journeys for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Obi’s scathing criticism, aired on April 27, 2025, via a statement reported by Naija News and The Cable, claims JAMB’s 6:30 am verification start time endangers candidates, exposing them to insecurity and accidents. But JAMB has hit back, insisting exams begin at 8:00 am, not 6:00 am, leaving Nigerians caught in a tense debate over truth, safety, and systemic failures.Obi, a former Anambra governor, painted a grim picture of 15- to 17-year-olds trekking through dark, unfamiliar, and bandit-prone areas to reach exam centres, calling the scheduling “reckless.” He cited reports of missing students and fatal crashes, including a teenage girl lost in Lagos’ Ajah area, as noted by Platform Times. For Nigerians, this hits home: the fear of a child not returning from an exam is all too real in a country where kidnappings and road accidents are rampant. Obi argued that Nigeria’s paltry 200 universities for 230 million people—compared to Indonesia’s 4,000 for 280 million—forces students to travel far, risking their lives for education.JAMB, led by Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, fired back through a statement to Naija News, clarifying that verification starts at 6:30 am to allow time for biometric checks, with exams kicking off at 8:00 am. The board, overseeing 2.03 million candidates across 870 CBT centres from April 24 to May 5, 2025, per Legit.ng, stressed that early arrivals ensure smooth processes. Supervisors at centres like Rosa Mystica Academy in Abuja confirmed to The Authority that candidates arriving by 6:45 am faced no hitches, with exams starting promptly. Yet, parents remain furious, with some in Lagos, like a mother from Awoyaya whose son was assigned a centre in Ikorodu, telling PUNCH the early timing risks lives.The clash exposes a deeper wound. Nigeria’s education system, with a 12% gross enrollment ratio against Indonesia’s 45%, per UNESCO data cited by Obi, is stretched thin. JAMB’s 6:30 am call may be logistical, but it ignores the reality of students navigating unsafe roads or public transport in pre-dawn hours. The board’s claim of no 6:00 am exams holds true, but it sidesteps the core issue: early verification still forces risky travel. Obi’s call for 2,000 universities to ease access resonates with Nigerians tired of a system that feels stacked against their kids.As the 2025 UTME rolls on, this spat lays bare a stark choice. JAMB’s efficiency-driven schedule clashes with the raw fear of parents and students dodging danger for a shot at university. The truth lies in the middle: exams don’t start at 6:00 am, but the 6:30 am verification still puts lives on the line. Nigeria must decide if education is worth this gamble, or if bold reforms can spare the next generation from running a gauntlet just to write a test.