Nigeria Between JAMB's Demands and Children's Safety: What David Hundeyin's Outrage Reveals About Nigerian Society

As public outrage builds over JAMB's directive requiring candidates to arrive at examination centres by 6:30 AM, journalist David Hundeyin has shifted focus from the policy itself to what he describes as Nigerians' instinctive compliance with unreasonable authority—a pattern he argues enables continued institutional overreach.

KEY POINTS:

• JAMB's requirement for candidates to arrive at 6:30 AM for examinations that begin at 9:00 AM has sparked nationwide controversy
• Journalist David Hundeyin criticises parents for complying with what he calls a dangerous directive given Nigeria's security challenges
• Multiple reports have emerged of missing candidates who left home early to meet the requirement
• Presidential candidate Peter Obi has also condemned the policy as inconsiderate of Nigeria's current realities
• Hundeyin argues this situation reveals a deeper cultural problem of automatic compliance with authority regardless of reasonableness
• Reports indicate some examination centres are located in remote areas requiring extensive travel in pre-dawn hours

Parents across Nigeria find themselves caught between competing fears—risking their children's academic future by defying JAMB's requirements or endangering their physical safety by complying. Many report feeling powerless within a system where individual resistance seems futile, while community mobilisation remains challenging across Nigeria's diverse population.

This controversy raises fundamental questions about citizen engagement with institutional policies. Will growing criticism from influential voices like Hundeyin and Obi lead to JAMB reconsidering its approach? Or does meaningful change require the broader societal reflection on compliance that Hundeyin demands? The answers may determine whether similar situations continue to emerge across Nigeria's public institutions.