As the 26th February registration deadline draws near, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to take immediate action to prevent thousands of candidates from missing the examination due to administrative bottlenecks.
Obi raised the alarm on Monday through a statement on his verified X handle, describing his recent observations at the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State, where he witnessed crowds and confusion similar to what he saw a year ago.
The Labour Party presidential candidate noted that despite expectations of corrective measures following last year’s concerns, particularly after several Computer Based Test centres were proscribed over alleged infractions, the situation remains largely unchanged.
“The expectation was that corrective measures would follow. Sadly, as I passed there again last Friday, I met the same crowd and confusion,” Obi observed.
He disclosed that further inquiries revealed similar challenges exist in other states across the country, with candidates enduring severe hardship to complete their registration.
“With registration ending on the 26th, the consequences are serious. Many candidates travel from distant villages, some even sleeping in Awka to secure access. If nothing urgent is done, some will miss the examination not for lack of preparation, but because the system failed them,” Obi warned.
The former governor proposed practical solutions to ease the pressure on registration centres, suggesting that facilities under investigation could be permitted to operate under strict supervision to prevent further infractions.
“While authorities may have valid reasons for sanctioning centres, a more balanced and humane approach is possible. Centres under investigation could be allowed to continue offering limited services under strict monitoring to prevent further lapses. If it is difficult to approve new centres quickly, the authorities could still make temporary use of previously approved centres under close supervision to ease the pressure on state offices,” he advised.
Obi emphasized that young Nigerians should not bear the brunt of systemic failures that affect everyone.
“Students cannot be made to suffer the failings of a system to which we have all, in one way or another, contributed. What is required now is not blame, but swift and compassionate intervention to ensure that avoidable administrative bottlenecks do not jeopardise any young person’s future,” he stressed.
His intervention comes amid growing concerns about the capacity of existing registration centres to handle the volume of candidates seeking to meet the deadline, with many students facing the prospect of missing out on the 2026 examination cycle through no fault of their own.
Last Updated on February 23, 2026 by Ola Funmilayo
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