JAMB Defends 6:30am Reporting Time Despite Safety Concerns and Public Outcry

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has defended its procedures, insisting that examinations officially start at 8:00 a.m., not 6:00 a.m. This is despite the reports on Friday, that a UTME candidate, Esther Oluwafayofunmi Oladele, was missing while commuting from Epe to Ajah, Lagos State, ahead of her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Esther had texted her sibling a panicked message on Thursday, saying, “I’m scared. I think I entered the wrong car. My eyes are itchy and I feel sleepy,” sparking widespread alarm online.

Johnson, a relative of the student, shared her situation on X, prompting Nigerians to amplify the search.  The case was promptly reported to the Ajiwe Police Station in Ajah. Fortunately, Esther was later found safe.

The incident intensified public outrage already brewing over logistical issues surrounding UTME and Mock UTME scheduling.

Earlier, popular broadcaster Rufai Oseni had shared complaints from concerned parents, with one parent stating their child, registered in Osun State, was directed to a remote village in Kwara State for the Mock examination. Another parent in Abeokuta reported that their child was assigned to Jalingo, far from their registration location.

Peter Obi, the Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate weighed in on the matter. In a statement posted on X, Obi decried the systemic failures forcing vulnerable teenagers to embark on dangerous journeys for examinations scheduled as early as 6:30 a.m.

Setting exams for vulnerable teenagers at such early hours, making them travel across far-flung and often unsafe locations, is reckless,” Obi said.

He emphasised that this reflects Nigeria’s inadequate investment in education, pointing out that Nigeria, with a population of about 230 million, has only around 200 universities — a stark contrast to Indonesia’s 4,000 tertiary institutions for a similar population size.

However, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) defended its procedures, saying that examinations officially start at 8:00 a.m., not 6:00 a.m.

While verification and clearance processes begin at 6:30 a.m., the exam itself commences at 8:00 a.m. Early verification is necessary to ensure all candidates are properly checked in and settled before the exam starts,” JAMB replied.

However, candidates’ printed examination slips — seen by multiple candidates and parents — clearly state 6:30 a.m. as the reporting time, effectively forcing candidates to leave their homes even earlier, often by 5:00 a.m. or earlier in some cases, particularly for those assigned distant centres.

This logistical reality, combined with Nigeria’s insecurity and poor road infrastructure, raises legitimate safety concerns.

The uproar follows previous controversies during the Mock UTME phase, where many candidates were reported to be sent to remote and inaccessible locations, leading to logistical nightmares for parents and candidates alike.

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