The founder of Omega Power Ministries, Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, has publicly demanded that the Federal Government scrap the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, arguing that its examination process places unbearable financial and safety burdens on Nigerian candidates and their families.
Chinyere made the demand during a Sunday sermon at the ministry’s international headquarters in Port Harcourt, where he described JAMB as having outlived its usefulness.
He pointed to the duplication of examinations as a major problem, noting that most tertiary Institutions still require candidates to sit additional screening or post UTME tests after the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, making the overall process repetitive and draining.
“In Nigeria, students write WAEC, then JAMB, then post UTME, and still face cut off marks. If they don’t succeed, they repeat the process the following year. It is frustrating,” he stated.
Chinyere raised particular alarm over examination sessions scheduled for 6:30 a.m., describing the timing as a direct safety risk. He disclosed that his ministry regularly funds hotel accommodation for scholarship beneficiaries who cannot travel safely at that hour.
“Sometimes I wonder why JAMB fixes exams for 6:30 a.m. For students under our scholarship, we often have to provide funds for hotel accommodation because they cannot travel safely at that hour,” he noted.
The cleric also criticised the posting of candidates to centres distant from their homes, referencing reported cases of abductions involving candidates travelling to examination venues. He urged the board to assign candidates to centres nearest to their residences.
“Candidates should be assigned to centres close to where they live to minimise hardship and ensure their safety,” he added.
Chinyere drew comparisons with admission systems in other countries, observing that many foreign institutions rely on school based assessments and direct applications rather than multiple high stakes examinations.
He warned that Nigeria’s current framework risked swelling the number of out of school youths if urgent reforms were not introduced, and called on the Federal Government to adopt a more student friendly admissions process.
Omega Power Ministries sponsors underprivileged Nigerians through local and international scholarship programmes funded by donations.
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