Enough is Enough: The False Outrage Over JAMB’s 6:30 AM Verification

A recent viral video stirred outrage across Nigeria, with a woman accusing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of scheduling UTME examinations for 6:30 AM.
Without verifying the facts, the claim spread like wildfire, fueling anger, condemnation, and widespread misinformation.

However, upon investigation, it became clear that the outrage was built on a false foundation:
JAMB never scheduled any examination for 6:30 AM.
The Board simply instructed candidates to arrive from 6:30 AM for verification, while the actual exam starts at 8:00 AM.

This incident is not isolated. It highlights a troubling trend in Nigeria: the rapid, almost effortless, spread of unverified information, especially when it paints government institutions in a bad light.

Selective Outrage: A Deep-Seated Problem

It is painful to note that the same Nigerians shouting about JAMB would:

• Gladly line up at 4:00 AM for foreign visa appointments without protest.
• Pay touts to secure spaces.
• Comply silently with far stricter foreign rules, even if those systems treat them worse.

Where is the outrage then?
When a foreign embassy schedules a 6:30 AM appointment, there’s no uproar. But when a Nigerian examination body advises early arrival for one of the most important exams of a student’s life, it becomes a “national crisis.”

A Glimpse into the Past

Those who wrote JAMB in the 1990s and early 2000s know the culture of early arrival has always existed:

• Students traveled long distances to collect forms.
• They arrived at centres by 4:30 AM without their parents following them.
• There was no social media noise, only determination and responsibility.

Today, sadly, the conversation has shifted.
Some parents who now cry foul about “6:30 AM verification” are the same ones who:

• Bribe for special centers.
• Fund examination malpractice.
• Undermine the same system they pretend to defend.

Security Concerns: Real but Misused

No one denies that Nigeria faces security challenges.
However, examinations must continue. And proper verification is critical to fight impersonation and fraud.

If parents are truly worried about safety, they should:

• Prioritize registering their children in centres close to home, as JAMB advised.
• Avoid corrupt arrangements that place candidates in distant and risky locations for selfish gains.

The Rise of Sensationalism Over Truth

A disturbing trend is the rise of a “woke” culture that feeds on emotional reactions rather than facts.

• People don’t verify stories; they just share them.
• Politicians and influencers exploit these moments for cheap popularity.
• Real problems are ignored while manufactured outrage takes centre stage.

And sadly, education—the very foundation for national development—is now treated with contempt.

Parents who wake their children for overnight church vigils without complaint should not pretend that arriving early for an exam is too much sacrifice for education.

The Way Forward

If Nigeria must move forward, we must:

1. Verify information before reacting.
2. Avoid double standards — if we comply abroad, we must comply at home.
3. Protect the integrity of education, not attack it based on lies.
4. Focus on real issues — like examination malpractice, poor infrastructure, and lack of support for genuine students.

JAMB’s request for early arrival was reasonable.
The real enemies of progress are those who support special centres, encourage fraud, and manufacture outrage for selfish reasons.

The future of Nigeria’s youth depends on building a credible education system.
Undermining it with lies, hypocrisy, and misplaced anger only harms the students we claim to care about.

Enough is enough.

— Timothy Odedina