Man Reveals N55 JAMB Registration Fee from 1989
A Nigerian man who sat for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination in 1989 has sparked widespread discussion after sharing an old registration receipt online. The receipt, which he posted on social media, shows that he paid only N55 for the exam registration at that time.
The man, identified on Twitter as @nwoko_greg62705, explained that his father had carefully preserved the receipt along with many other documents. He also noted that the JAMB headquarters was located at 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, in 1989.
Details from the Viral Post
In his tweet, @nwoko_greg62705 wrote: "₦55 was the JAMB registration fee back in 1989…… JAMB HQ was at 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi." He added that the property previously belonged to Sir Louis Philip Ojukwu before it was seized by the Federal Military Government. He further stated, "My dad kept every receipt that concerns us all. I have a lot of my old receipts."
The post quickly went viral, drawing reactions from Nigerians who compared the past cost of education with current fees. Many expressed nostalgia and frustration over the rising cost of examinations in Nigeria.
Reactions from Social Media Users
Several users commented on the post. @kolahinmi asked, "Do still have the JAMB brochures of these years? I still one with green hard cover." @daddytweens remarked, "Come and see the crowd na. I was there 1995, we suffer eh. The coming of Internet made life easy."
@kelechihenry528 noted, "I haven't been born in 1989, even my mama never reach 20 years then." @real_innocient said, "1989 was the year I came to Lagos, I was in primary 3 then." @omobendel_ commented, "When money had value." @otomporo8701 wrote, "The people who enjoyed it are the ones choking Nigeria today via looting." @Ilejat estimated, "That's equivalent to about 8k in today's Naira."
Context: Rising Education Costs in Nigeria
This story comes amid ongoing discussions about the increasing cost of education in Nigeria. In a similar case, a Nigerian lady shared an old school fees receipt from 1993, which also sparked reactions about the affordability of education in the past. More recently, a PhD student at the University of Ibadan revealed she pays about N316,000 per session for her doctoral programme, prompting debate on the high cost of higher education compared to studying abroad.
The JAMB registration fee for 2024/2025 is N3,500 for UTME and N1,000 for the optional mock exam, a significant increase from the N55 fee in 1989, reflecting decades of inflation and economic changes.
