Peter Obi faults JAMB over 6:30AM exam clearance schedule

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has condemned the state of Nigeria’s education system following troubling reports of JAMB candidates being endangered while trying to sit for their examinations.

In a post shared on X, Obi decried the practice of forcing teenagers, mostly between 15 and 17 years old, to travel in the dark to far-flung examination centres as early as 6:00 a.m. despite growing insecurity across the country.

“This is reckless,” Obi wrote, adding that the situation puts vulnerable students at unnecessary risk, with some already suffering tragic consequences.

His comments come in the wake of two major incidents: the case of a missing JAMB candidate who was found after two harrowing days, and an accident involving several candidates along the Ogbomosho road in Oyo State while they were en route to their examination centres.

“Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?” Obi queried.

The former Anambra governor pointed to the deeper systemic failures behind the crisis, highlighting Nigeria’s critical shortage of universities and examination centres. He revealed that with about 200 universities serving a population of over 230 million, Nigeria averages one university for every one million people — a staggering and deeply concerning ratio.

Obi compared Nigeria’s situation to Indonesia, a country with a similar population size but over 4,000 tertiary institutions and a Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of over 45%. Nigeria’s GER, according to UNESCO data cited by Obi, stands at a mere 12%, far below global averages.

“Indonesia’s substantial investment in education is evident in its university-to-population ratio, supporting its large student population across various regions,” Obi noted, adding that the wide distribution of institutions in Indonesia ensures safer, easier access to education for young citizens.

“If Nigeria even had half of Indonesia’s educational infrastructure — around 2,000 universities — no child would be forced into life-threatening journeys just to sit for an exam, nor would they still struggle with university admissions after passing,” he argued.

Obi stressed that education is not a luxury but the most crucial investment for national development.

“You cannot claim to want development while starving our young of access to knowledge. You cannot claim to value your citizens while risking the lives of teenagers every examination season,” he said.

Calling for urgent and deliberate expansion of Nigeria’s educational system, Obi urged policymakers to prioritize the safety, future, and dreams of Nigerian youth.

“Our young generation should not be endangered because they desire education,” he emphasized. “A new Nigeria is POssible.”