CSOs to JAMB: It’s time to restructure exam time
By John Okezie
Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Osun State, under the aegis of The Osun Masterminds (TOM), has called for urgent and immediate restructuring of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) towards shifting the examination time from 6am.
The group faulted the time of the examination at a period when the country was battling with insecurity, saying the “JAMB should urgently change the time to 8am.”
The coalition said: “We received the news of motorcycle and motor accidents who were rushing to ensure that the students meet up with the time. This is uncalled for.”
The Executive Director of TOM, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, in a monthly state of the state address, yesterday, expressed displeasure over the continued closure of local governments, saying “they have remained crippled, and unable to perform the basic duties of governance at the grassroots.
“The pains of common people in the rural communities, occasioned by the continued inactivity of the Local Governments is enough reason for responsive governments at all levels to urgently collaborate to find lasting solutions,” TOM said.
The group also condemned the continued delay of teacher’s recruitment process by Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying that “pupils and students are turned out of our schools every year, having passed through a short-staffed education system that clearly could not have delivered quality education to them.
“The delay in recruitment of critical manpower also currently affects the health sector in the state, whereas shortage of manpower in the education and health sectors slows down, not just the development of our society, but the growth and development of human capacity in the society.”
Lamenting on the worsening security situation in Nigeria, TOM called on President Bola Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, put Service Chiefs on their toes to get desired results.
“We have reached a point where almost no part of the country is safe. From kidnapping, to banditry, to terrorism, Nigeria is at a point where citizens can no longer sleep in their own houses with absolute rest of mind.
“Today, in Nigeria, tribes are being decimated in a manner that closely resembles ethnic cleansing, yet the country seems to be incapable of stopping these unfortunate occurrences. We are at a point where we are advising ourselves to resort to self-help, since the government is posturing as though it is unconcerned.
“We are very worried about the weeks and months ahead, especially as criminal elements, threatening the peace of the country, seem to be getting more emboldened day after day. We are afraid things may get even worse,” TOM added.
The group also charged the president to solve the nation’s power problems in a bid to foster true development.
“It is sad that despite very high tariffs, the state of power supply in Nigeria has worsened in recent times. Households that could boast of 16-hour per day electricity a few years ago, rarely get three hours in recent times,” the group lamented.
