Ogori, Wake Up: Our Children Should Not Be Refugees in Search of a CBT Centre
By Alao Adamadamosi Sunday, arpa
In an age where the world has moved its classrooms and examination halls to the cloud, the children of Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area are still pounding the hot asphalt of Kogi and Edo roads, travelling several kilometres to write the very examinations that should open the doors to their future. This is not just an inconvenience; it is a quiet emergency that demands the urgent attention of every well-to-do son and daughter of Ogori.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and the National Examinations Council (NECO) have all fully migrated to Computer-Based Testing (CBT). Yet, in Ogori and its surrounding communities—Lampese, Ibillo, Bekuma, Omakeke, and beyond—there is not a single functional, accredited CBT centre. Students seeking to sit for UTME, or even to practise for WAEC and NECO CBT components, are forced to travel to distant towns like Okene, Lokoja, or even into Edo State, incurring costs their families can barely afford and exposing themselves to the risks of long-distance travel during examination periods.
This is a paradox that should trouble every Ogori indigene. Ogori/Magongo is not a backward community. It is a land that has consistently prioritised education, producing some of the most distinguished professionals in Nigeria, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN). Our people have built mansions, funded festivals, and sponsored political ambitions. Yet, we have not built a single centre where our own children can sit comfortably before a computer screen and compete favourably with their peers from Lagos or Abuja.
The excuses are no longer tenable. The requirements for establishing a JAMB-accredited CBT centre are clear and achievable for a collective of determined individuals. A new centre requires a minimum of 250 functional laptop computers, a secure and spacious examination hall, a verifiable holding room, and a registration area—all under the watch of a wired, 16-channel HIKVision CCTV system that feeds live to JAMB headquarters in Abuja. There must be alternative power sources, including generators and inverters, and a network topology designed for quick troubleshooting.
The cost is not insignificant, but neither is it prohibitive for a community of our calibre. A recent example from Kogi West is instructive: a 288-seater modern CBT centre was completed at Titcombe College, Egbe, for approximately N300 million, equipped with Core i5 laptops, solar-powered inverters, a 40 kVA generator, and Starlink internet. That is the price of a legacy. It is less than the cost of a handful of luxury vehicles, yet it would serve thousands of children for generations.
There are already whispers of past efforts. A 600-capacity JAMB CBT centre facilitated for Kogi Central was reported to be nearing completion in Agassa, Okene LGA, years ago. Another report suggested a similar facility was being facilitated for the Ogori axis. Whether those projects stalled, were relocated, or were never fully equipped, the reality on the ground today is unmistakable: our children are still travelling. We cannot wait indefinitely for political promises that evaporate with election cycles.
This is why the well-to-do individuals of Ogori—the doctors, lawyers, engineers, business moguls, and public servants who trace their roots to this soil—must now take the lead. This is not a task to be left to the government alone. It is a call for a community-driven legacy project. A foundation, a cooperative, or an alumni association of our prominent secondary schools can be formed to pool resources. A single prominent indigene can anchor the project; a hundred others can contribute laptops, fund the CCTV installation, or sponsor the solar power system.
The benefits will be immediate and transformative. Beyond JAMB, WAEC, and NECO, a CBT centre would become a hub for digital literacy, ICT training, and professional certification for our youths. It would attract ancillary economic activity—cyber cafés, stationery shops, and transport services—to Ogori. Most importantly, it would restore the dignity of our children, who deserve to write their exams in a familiar environment, surrounded by their own community, without the anxiety of a long journey the night before the most important test of their young lives.
Ogori has always been a land of firsts and of excellence. Let us not be remembered as the generation that watched its children become educational refugees. Let us be the generation that built the centre. The land is available. The need is urgent. The expertise is within our ranks. What is required now is the will.
The call is clear: If you have the means, build a CBT centre in Ogori. If you cannot build alone, join hands with others. Our children cannot wait any longer.
Alao Adamadamosi Sunday writes from Lokoja
