The General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, has called on the Federal Government to abolish the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), describing it as outdated and unnecessarily burdensome for Nigerian students.
Speaking during a Sunday sermon in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the cleric said the current admission process places too much pressure on young people due to multiple layers of examinations before gaining admission into tertiary institutions.
He questioned the relevance of JAMB in today’s education system, noting that candidates still face additional screenings even after passing the UTME.
“In Nigeria, you write WAEC, then JAMB, then post-UTME, and after that you still wait for cut-off marks. If you don’t make it, you start all over again the next year. It is very frustrating for students,” he said.
Apostle Chinyere argued that universities already conduct their own screening exercises, making the UTME redundant in his view.
“JAMB has lost relevance because schools still do their own tests after UTME. So why are students going through so much stress?” he added.
He also raised concerns about the early morning timing of the examination, especially sessions scheduled as early as 6:30 a.m., saying it exposes candidates to unnecessary risks and financial strain.
“Some students have to travel far and even lodge in hotels just to meet up with early morning exams. It is not safe and it is expensive for parents,” he said.
The cleric further criticised the practice of posting candidates to distant examination centres, urging that centres be located closer to where students live to reduce hardship and security risks.
He referenced reports of insecurity affecting candidates in some parts of the country, describing such incidents as deeply unfortunate and avoidable.
Apostle Chinyere also pointed to admission systems in other countries, arguing that universities abroad often offer admission directly based on academic records without requiring a central entrance examination like UTME.
According to him, a more flexible system would reduce stress, cut costs, and make access to higher education easier for Nigerian students.
