Peter Obi, former presidential candidate and ex-governor of Anambra State, has expressed grave concerns over the early start times for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Obi criticised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for scheduling the examination so early in the day, arguing that it puts young students at risk.
In a statement on April 27, Obi condemned the decision to require teenagers, many of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17, to report to their exam centres by 6:30 a.m.
He pointed out the dangers posed to students travelling in the early hours, often in darkness and along unfamiliar or unsafe routes.
Obi noted that this practice exposes them to serious risks such as road accidents, abductions, and even psychological harm.
Obi questioned who would take responsibility if a child were to go missing or be harmed while trying to access education, calling attention to the systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s education infrastructure.
He also compared Nigeria’s educational facilities to those of Indonesia, which has a far greater number of universities for its population.
He suggested that Nigeria’s current educational system, with only around 200 universities for over 200 million people, is woefully inadequate and needs urgent reform to match the country’s growing population.
The former Governor called on the Nigerian government to make substantial investments in education, specifically in building more universities and proposed increasing the number of institutions to 2,000.
He argued that such steps would improve access to education and reduce the risks students face.
Obi concluded by stating that the young generation should not be put in harm’s way for simply pursuing an education.
He called on the government to make immediate changes to protect students while ensuring that education becomes a right, not a privilege.
In response, JAMB released a statement clarifying that the early reporting times were for pre-test verification, not the actual start times of the exam.
However, the Board did not directly address the safety concerns raised by Obi or the risks involved in students travelling early to their exam centres.
The debate over the scheduling of the UTME and the safety of students is ongoing, with reports of students going missing during their commutes to exam centres.
One such case involved a teenage girl who went missing while travelling to an exam centre in Ajah, Lagos, underscoring the very concerns Obi had raised.
This ongoing discussion is part of a broader effort to enhance Nigeria’s education system, making it safer, more accessible, and better equipped to serve its expanding population.
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