STOP PUNISHING OUR STUDENTS: A CRY AGAINST IRRESPONSIBLE JAMB POSTINGS
The federal government’s insistence on posting students from their own local governments to distant locations to write the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams is a deliberate act of oppression against Nigerian youths. This policy lacks sense, compassion, and basic logic. It heaps unnecessary burdens on poor parents, endangers the safety of our children, and exposes the government’s gross failure to plan.
Why should a student living in a particular local government be forced to travel, sometimes across states, to write an exam that could easily be conducted in their own locality?
Let us be clear: this is not a problem of technology or resources. It is a problem of greed, incompetence, and misplaced priorities.
JAMB IS FINANCIALLY BUOYANT — WHY THEN THE HARDSHIP?
Over the years, JAMB has declared billions of naira as surplus revenue to the federal government. Every year, it collects millions from candidates through registration fees, service charges, correction charges, and printing of result slips.
If JAMB is raking in billions, what excuse do they have for not setting up enough examination centers?
A straightforward analysis shows that even if JAMB devoted just a fraction of its annual income, it could easily build and equip at least four standard exam centers per local government.
Nigeria has 774 local governments.
• 4 centers per LGA = 3,096 centers nationwide.
• Spread across the country, this is achievable within 2–3 years if JAMB truly intends to serve the public.
But instead, students are forced to travel 50 to 300 kilometers to write an exam — sometimes risking accidents, robbery, and kidnappings on unsafe Nigerian roads.
STATE GOVERNMENTS: WHY ARE THEY SHUT OUT?
In a federal system, states should have the autonomy to develop their educational systems in partnership with federal bodies.
Why should the federal government refuse to allow state governments to establish JAMB centers?
• States know the needs of their people better.
• States can provide facilities faster and cheaper.
• State governments are more accountable to their local populations.
If federal bureaucracy is too slow or too corrupt to provide enough centers, why should state efforts be blocked? Is it because the federal government fears losing control over the “lucrative business” of JAMB registration and postings?
In many states, there are community ICT centers, libraries, and public facilities that could easily be upgraded to serve as JAMB exam centers. But no — the federal government would rather let those facilities rot while students suffer.
NOW WAEC WANTS TO COPY THIS DISASTER?
It is even more disturbing to hear that WAEC is considering using the same broken system — posting students to fewer and fewer centers, instead of multiplying the number of available centers.
WAEC, unlike JAMB, deals with even younger candidates, many barely 15 or 16 years old. Forcing these teenagers to travel long distances is not just foolish — it is criminal negligence.
WAEC has historically conducted exams in nearly every school across Nigeria. If they now start concentrating centers without creating new ones, the following will happen:
• Overcrowding: More students jammed into fewer centers, increasing risks of exam malpractice, spread of diseases, and logistic failures.
• Higher costs: Poor parents will be forced to pay for transport, accommodation, and feeding, just so their children can sit an exam.
• Drop in participation: Some students, especially in rural areas, will simply drop out because they cannot afford to travel.
This is a direct attack on access to education.
THE LOGICAL WAY FORWARD
1. JAMB should establish multiple centers per local government.
2. State governments should be allowed to create and manage JAMB-accredited centers.
3. WAEC should maintain decentralized examination practices and build more centers, not fewer.
4. Students should be posted within their local government areas or at worst, neighboring LGAs.
5. There should be public accountability for how JAMB’s massive revenues are used.
FINAL WORDS
Education is a right, not a privilege for the rich or the lucky few. When a government makes it harder for students to access exams like JAMB and WAEC, it is actively destroying the future of the nation.
Enough of this madness!
If JAMB and WAEC cannot serve Nigerian students fairly and reasonably, then the people must demand a restructuring of the entire system — or call for a complete overhaul.
