The Osun Masterminds, a civil society organisation based in Osun State, has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to urgently reform its examination framework for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Among their major demands is a shift in the commencement time for accreditation and related protocols from 6:30am to 8:00am, citing safety concerns and logistical difficulties for candidates.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the group, Wole Oladapo expressed deep worry over recent reports of accidents, missing candidates, and the inability of some students to arrive on time for their exams.
He emphasized that the present requirement for candidates to appear at exam venues by 6:30am puts many—some as young as sixteen—at severe risk.
“The Osun Masterminds insists that JAMB must restructure its examination procedures immediately. Accreditation should begin at 8am to help prevent incidents such as road accidents and possible kidnappings,” Oladapo stated.
He criticized the expectation placed on young candidates to traverse potentially unsafe routes during early morning hours, saying, “How do you expect a sixteen-year-old to navigate dangerous roads in the dark? Any parent who allows this is taking a grave risk.”
Oladapo did not spare the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, whom he accused of enforcing examination protocols that disregard the country’s security realities.
“Would the JAMB Registrar himself agree to travel between Ilorin and Offa at 6am? If not, why then expose children of ordinary Nigerians to such hazards?” he asked.
The group also took issue with JAMB’s defense that only protocol activities, not exams, begin at 6:30am, describing the justification as weak.
“Isn’t protocol a core part of the examination process? How can you separate the two?” Oladapo queried.
TOM further pointed to recurring complaints of candidates being posted to exam centres outside their preferred towns—an issue the JAMB leadership has reportedly denied.
The group also decried cases where technical failures, such as computer shutdowns during exams, forced candidates to forfeit the opportunity and wait another year to re-sit the UTME.
“What steps have been taken to fix this? That situation is highly unfortunate,” Oladapo said.
The Osun Masterminds called on the Nigerian public and lawmakers in the National Assembly to rise in defence of the nation’s youth, urging them to push for safer and more equitable systems, not only in examinations but also in national service placements.
