Alleged lightning halts JAMB examination in Warri CBT centre

Lightening from Friday heavy downpour has allegedly disrupted the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination scheduled to hold on Saturday at the College of Education, CBT centre, in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The supervisor of the examination at the college’s JAMB CBT centre, who refused to disclose his name, gave the excuse as the reason the examination could not hold as scheduled at the centre on Saturday.

He alleged that a lightning struck some of the computer switches during the heavy downpour of the previous day, hence, the disruption of the examination.

“Technicians made sure everything was working until this morning when we noticed that some of the computer switches had been destroyed by thunder due to the rain yesterday.

“It’s unfortunate, but they’ve called experts to fix the damage and they have been working on them, trying their best since morning.”

“So, I plead with the candidates to exercise a little more patience, no matter how long it takes, they will write the exam today.

“There are 250 candidates per period and candidates are to write for two periods and each period is two hours making it four hours altogether.

“The first period was supposed to start by 7:00a.m and the second by 9:30a.m. Though, the exam has been delayed, we will try our best to make sure the candidates write the exam,” he vowed.

As of about 1:30p.m when our correspondent was having a chat with the supervisor, candidates and their parents were wandering around the college premises angry and frustrated.

Some of the angry parents of the candidates would not buy into the excuse given by the JAMB supervisor, saying delay in the centre has become an annual ritual.

The parents of the affected candidates called on JAMB to stop the college JAMB CBT centre, saying it has always been having issues over the years, thereby causing anxiety for the candidates. 

An angry parent who claimed to have travelled all the way from Edo State, Mrs Grace Amueti, said: “They should cancel this centre. The place is not fit to be used as a centre for JAMB exams.

“From 7:00am till now, they are still doing nothing and they are telling us that it was thunder strike.”

“If you put the place in good condition, how can thunder just destroy 250 computer switches  just like that?”

“After this set, this centre should  be cancelled. My child is inside crying, he has read. I came all the way from Edo State for this exam. All the way from Afemai. I paid for a hotel here and I don’t  have enough  to go back now because I have used the money on other things.”

Another disappointed parent, Mr Cyril Suokumoh said: “It’s a disappointment. You said children should come to exam centres by 7:00a.m and it’s almost 2:00p.m and they have not started what they came here for. Of course, the children will be disorganized. How will they remember what they’ve read?

He continued: “It’s worrisome  because JAMB ought to have known that this centre is having problems every year and they keep using this place.

“There are some students that have written JAMB over two times, God not helping them, do you think such a child will remember what he/she read before  coming here? I don’t have much to say; this centre should  be cancelled.”

Meanwhile, as of 2:45p.m when our correspondent was leaving the centre, the examination had not started as the engineers were still battling to fix the damaged switches while candidates were still loitering around the premises, downcast.

It was, however, gathered that candidates at PTI and Benchill centres, in Warri and Effurun, had no hitches as of the time of filing the report.