The National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Council, Cross River State Axis, has expressed “profound concern and outrage” over the inadequate number of JAMB Computer-Based Test centres in the state, warning that the shortfall is creating severe logistical, financial, and safety risks for candidates sitting the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. In a statement issued by its Chairman, Comrade Victor Antigha Asuquo, the student body said it had received numerous reports from candidates, parents, and guardians about the hardship caused by poor distribution of accredited centres.
Read also Tackling Campus Drug Abuse: UNICROSS, NANS JCC Align as Victor Antigha Asuquo Calls for Joint Action
According to NANS JCC CRS, 34,605 candidates registered for the 2026 UTME in Cross River State, but only six approved CBT centres are available to serve them. The accredited centres are: UEE, Akamkpa ICT Centre; University of Calabar E-Library Complex; UNICROSS ICT centre, Calabar South; Swiftcom Global at FAAN Secondary School, Calabar; Federal College of Education, Obudu; and Klinnicapps Academy, Okuku, Yala. The association noted that the centres are heavily concentrated in Calabar, leaving large parts of the state underserved. By comparison, it said, Akwa Ibom, Benue, and Anambra each have over 12–15 accredited centres, while Rivers State has more than 22. With only six centres, Cross River averages roughly 5,600 candidates per centre, a ratio NANS described as “clearly unsustainable,” adding that many centres can barely seat 100 candidates per session.
The infrastructure gap has forced thousands of candidates, predominantly teenagers, to travel long distances for their exams. NANS said students from Calabar and southern LGAs are being posted to Obudu; over eight hours by road, Akamkpa, or even out of state to Akwa Ibom, often forced to travel via the Calabar-Oron waterway. This has resulted in exorbitant transport and accommodation costs, departures as early as 5:00 a.m. for morning sessions, and heightened anxiety among candidates. The situation escalated on Friday, 17th April 2026, when sea pirates attacked a _Sea Express_ passenger ferry on the Calabar–Oron waterway. Reports indicate that 15–20 passengers were abducted, eight of whom were UTME candidates en route to centres in Akwa Ibom. The Cross River State Police Command has confirmed the incident, and joint rescue operations involving the Nigerian Navy and Akwa Ibom authorities are reportedly ongoing.
Read also Nigerian Students Stand Against Drug Abuse in Calabar, led by Victor Antigha Asuquo
While commending security agencies for their response, NANS JCC CRS insisted the abduction was “not an isolated or unforeseeable event” but a direct consequence of systemic infrastructural deficiencies. The association issued a four-point demand: immediate expansion of CBT infrastructure across the state through collaboration with universities and private operators; a review of JAMB’s candidate allocation process to prioritize proximity, plus a special reallocation window for affected candidates; heightened security on the Calabar–Oron waterway and major routes to exam centres; and urgent intervention by Governor Bassey Otu and the State Ministry of Education to develop permanent, state-of-the-art CBT centres. NANS said it remains open to dialogue with JAMB, the state government, and security agencies but vowed to “continue to amplify student voices” until every Cross River candidate can write the UTME “in a safe, dignified, and equitable environment.”
