Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to adopt a more transparent and compassionate approach in handling the blacklisting of Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Friday, titled “JAMB: A Plea for Compassion”, Obi recounted his recent visit to the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State, where he met a large number of frustrated students seeking to make changes to their courses or institutions. Many of the students told him they could no longer access such services at their nearest CBT centres due to sudden closures.
“Out of 28 JAMB-approved CBT centres in Anambra State, 17 have been blacklisted,” Obi revealed. “Sadly, many of the affected centres were not even informed of the specific reasons behind this action.”
He criticised the lack of transparency in the blacklisting process, noting that most of the centres were simply told they were “under investigation” without further explanation. As a result, students were forced to travel long distances to the JAMB state office to make changes, often more than once.
Obi raised concerns about the financial burden this places on students and their families. He noted that while the official cost of processing changes was about ₦1,500 at accredited centres, students reported paying as much as ₦15,000 at the state office, with some of the charges allegedly inflated by unofficial fees.
“These young Nigerians—already grappling with immense pressure—now face even greater financial, physical, and emotional strain,” Obi said. “The challenges they confront have prevented many from transferring to their preferred institutions, placing their academic futures at serious risk.”
He called on JAMB to consider more humane measures, such as allowing blacklisted centres to operate under strict monitoring until investigations are concluded, rather than enforcing outright shutdowns.
“Education remains the hope of our nation,” Obi said. “We must not allow bureaucratic bottlenecks and opacity to derail the dreams of our young people.”
Obi acknowledged that JAMB may have legitimate reasons for investigating certain centres but insisted that such actions must not come at the expense of students’ welfare.
His comments come amid growing public concern over rising costs in Nigeria’s education sector, particularly in a period marked by economic hardship, insecurity, and high youth unemployment.
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