UTME 2025: JAMB Fires Back at Peter Obi Over 6:30am Exam Timing, “Candidates’ Safety Our Priority”
- JAMB has clarified that the 2025 UTME officially starts at 8am nationwide, not 6am as widely alleged
- The Board gave this clarification after Peter Obi criticised JAMB for allegedly scheduling exams too early, leading to student hardships and unnecessary trauma
- JAMB maintained that only verification processes start at 6:30am to ensure the smooth commencement of the examination by 8am
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has asserted that the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) commences at 8am, not 6am, at various Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the federation.
Source: Twitter
JAMB gave this clarification in a terse statement released on its website on X on Sunday, April 17, 2025.
The Board spoke after Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, criticised JAMB.
Recall that the 2025 UTME began on April 24, a day earlier than initially announced, at various CBT centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other states of the federation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), which monitored the development in the FCT and its environs, reported that more than two million candidates would be writing the examination nationwide.
Legit.ng reported that Obi said JAMB allegedly set the 2025 UTME examinations for teenagers as early as 6:30am while "transporting them across far-flung locations".
According to the presidential hopeful and former Anambra state governor, this alleged act is "reckless".
The LP chieftain said reports were already emerging of students getting into accidents and losing their young lives, some going missing, and "many more being subjected to unnecessary trauma".
“6:30am not 8am" - JAMB counters Obi
Source: Twitter
Reacting, JAMB, in a statement issued in Abuja by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, countered Obi’s allegations on UTME examination timing and maintained that candidates' safety is the Board's priority.
According to JAMB, early arrival and verification processes begin at 6:30 am and it is important to avoid any delays before the actual examination commences at 8am.
JAMB tweeted:
"@PeterObi, Your Excellency, I must assert that our examination is scheduled to commence at 8:00am, not 6:00 am. While verification and other clearance processes begins at 6:30am, it is imperative that candidates are afforded adequate time to settle in before the exam begins.
"Given the tendencies often observed among Nigerians to arrive late when a start time is set without space for eventuality, this structured timeline is essential to ensure that all candidates are properly prepared and can perform to the best of their abilities."
Read more about JAMB here:
- Tinubu approves 67 new tertiary institutions, JAMB warns, “No more backdoor admissions”
- JAMB: How 180 UTME candidates paid for exam questions
- JAMB uncovers 142 Kano varsity applicants with fake results
JAMB denies posting candidates outside chosen exam towns
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that JAMB strongly denied reports that it assigned candidates to exam centres outside their selected towns.
JAMB, in a statement on Saturday, emphasised that candidates choose their preferred exam towns during registration, and the Board strictly assigns centres within those towns.
The Board challenged the public to present evidence of any deviation within 96 hours, offering a financial reward for verifiable proof.
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Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
