A couple of candidates eligible for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have been killed in a road accident that transpired along the Oyo-Ogbomoso road in Oyo State. Reports which were made known on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) alleged that brake failure was the cause of the accident.
These were students heading to their examination centers for the UTME. However, as of the time of writing, the exact number of casualties and identities of the victims were yet to be officially disclosed.
Following the wretched news, many Nigerians took to social media to express their grief, anger, and frustration about the whole event. Comment sections were filled with condolences, prayers for the deceased, and attacks on the systemic issues bedeviling the country’s educational and transportation structures.
User @Plug08066 mourned: “May the souls of the departed rest in peace. This is why it is very important to elect leaders who focus on education and health, rather than voting based on tribal sentiments, which leads only to regret.”
Another user, @omoiyaonikoko1, commented on the effectiveness of the policies of JAMB registrar: “The JAMB registrar should resign. His policies have made candidates go through unnecessary hardship. What was wrong with the traditional way of writing JAMB? Now innocent souls are lost.”
@EsievDarneal addressed systemic failures, stating: “Everything is wrong in this country. Exam fixes that start as early as 6a.m. are unsafe. Why can’t students take entrances right there at the schools they apply to?”
As for @Kickflowdown, “I thought students were supposed to choose their exam location? Why are candidates being posted to far places like NYSC camps? That creates room for racketeering and puts lives at risk.”
“This same lament is what I wrote about JAMB last year: sending students to distant centers and fixing exams so early. In a country that is insecure, compromising young souls like that is unacceptable. JAMB should answer for those deaths,” wrote @comrade_lekan1.
The anguish surrounding this incident has provided strong motivation for the calls for reform in the educational and transport sectors of the nation.
