Founder and General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, has called on the Federal Government to abolish the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing the process organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as outdated, stressful, and unnecessarily burdensome for Nigerian students.
The cleric made the call on Sunday during a sermon at the church’s international headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he questioned the continued relevance of JAMB in Nigeria’s university admission process.
Apostle Chinyere argued that students already go through multiple stages of academic screening, making the UTME an avoidable duplication that places emotional and financial pressure on families.
“In Nigeria, you will write WAEC; after WAEC, you will write JAMB; after JAMB, you will write post-UTME; then you wait for the school cut-off mark and departmental cut-off mark. If you don’t meet it, you wait another year, register for JAMB again, and start afresh. It is very frustrating,” he said. Continue Reading…
According to him, JAMB has outlived its relevance because tertiary institutions still conduct separate screening and entrance assessments after candidates pass UTME.
“JAMB has lost its relevance because universities still organise their own entrance examinations after UTME,” he added.
The OPM founder also criticised the Board’s early examination schedule, especially the 6:30 a.m. sittings, saying it exposes candidates to serious security risks and additional expenses.
“Sometimes I wonder why JAMB fixes exams for 6:30 a.m. Do you know that for all my adopted children under OPM scholarships going for JAMB, I have to give them extra money to pay for hotels?” he queried.
He explained that many candidates are forced to travel long distances and spend nights in hotels close to their examination centres just to meet the early schedule.
“They cannot travel safely that early, so they have to stay overnight in hotels close to their centres. This creates additional financial pressure,” he said.
Chinyere further faulted JAMB for posting candidates to examination centres far from their residences, insisting that such arrangements increase risks, especially amid growing insecurity across the country.
“JAMB is always posting them to centres very far away from where they live. What should have been done is to post them to centres close to their homes,” he stated. Continue Reading…
Referencing reports of the recent abduction of UTME candidates in Benue State, the cleric described the situation as alarming and unacceptable.
“I saw something on social media that 12 people who went to write JAMB in Benue State were kidnapped. It is really very unfortunate,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with admission systems in foreign countries, Apostle Chinyere said many universities abroad admit students without requiring a central entrance examination like JAMB.
“If you want to get admission into universities outside Nigeria, you don’t need JAMB. You apply to the university, they send you an unconditional letter of offer, and when fees are paid, a conditional offer follows after verification of results. They won’t ask you to write JAMB,” he explained.
He warned that the repeated cycle of failed admissions and re-registration could worsen the number of out-of-school youths, as many students eventually give up on pursuing higher education.
The cleric, who said OPM has been sponsoring underprivileged Nigerians on scholarships both locally and internationally for more than 15 years, urged the Federal Government to reform the education system and make university admission more accessible and less traumatic for young Nigerians. Continue Reading…
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