There was palpable anger and disappointment in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, last Thursday, as parents of candidates who participated in the 2025 mock examination organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) lambasted the examination body over what they described as an uncoordinated and poorly managed exercise.
The parents, many of whom had accompanied their children to various Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the city, did not mince words in expressing their dismay at the delays and general disarray that marred the conduct of the examination. According to several of them, the logistical and technical lapses witnessed during the mock test have only reinforced long-standing concerns about JAMB’s competence and credibility.
One of the visibly agitated parents, Musa Abubakar, who brought his son to one of the centres, decried the perennial challenges associated with the board’s operations, calling its leadership “a collection of failed administrators.”
“This JAMB people, even from my younger days, have always been a bunch of failed administrators. Nothing has changed. It’s the same old story of confusion and disappointment,” Abubakar remarked with evident frustration.
Findings from KIIN360 reveal that the mock examination, which was scheduled to commence in batches from 7:00 a.m., failed to kick off at the stipulated time in most centres. When our correspondent visited multiple CBT venues in Yola as late as 1:00 p.m., the examinations had yet to commence in some centres, leaving hundreds of students stranded and visibly exhausted.
An official at one of the centres, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, attributed the delay to technical issues reportedly stemming from JAMB’s central network system.
“We work with JAMB’s network directly, and once the network is down, there’s nothing we can do. The delay is not from the centres but from their end,” the official said.
At the Modibbo Adama University CBT centre, one of the parents who spoke with our reporter disclosed that his daughter, who was scheduled for the 7:00 a.m. batch, did not start the exam until after 1:00 p.m., finally concluding around 4:00 p.m. He lamented the ripple effect of the delay, stating that several other batches were unable to sit for the exam due to time constraints, resulting in the exercise being extended or postponed for many.
“The stress and the costs have been transferred to parents, who now have to bear the burden of additional transportation and accommodation. JAMB needs to take full responsibility for this failure,” he said.
The widespread discontent was further amplified by the calls from some parents for a complete overhaul of the current university admission process. Several of them questioned the continued relevance of JAMB, especially when tertiary institutions have limited autonomy in the final admission process.
Abubakar, still fuming over the experience, added, “I drove from a very far distance just for my son to be part of this mess. What is the point of JAMB if schools can’t even decide how many students to admit? This whole system needs to be revisited.”
The 2025 mock UTME was expected to serve as a preparatory ground for candidates ahead of the main examination. However, for many parents and candidates in Adamawa State, it turned out to be an ordeal that raised more doubts about the efficiency of Nigeria’s centralised admission process
