JAMB Still in the Eye of the Storm…
…Set to Release Results of Resit UTME
…Ethnic and Religious Coloration Unfortunate
By Taiwo Olapade
As the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) prepares to release the results of the resit UTME for 379,000 students, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the resignation of the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over what it described as a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement signed by Hon. Igariwey Enwo, the group also demanded a total cancellation of the examination, criticizing JAMB for the technical glitches that affected well over 70% of candidates who scored below 200.
However, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies did not endorse the position of the South-East Caucus, stating that its preliminary findings indicate that the glitches which marred the 2025 UTME were caused by human error.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Oboku Oforji, at a news briefing in Abuja, apologized to Nigerians over the issues and urged JAMB to prevent a recurrence in the future.
Recall that JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, last week publicly admitted to a ‘technical glitch’ at some examination centres during the 2025 UTME, announcing that 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would be required to retake the exam.
The South-East Caucus is also displeased with JAMB’s swift rescheduling of the resit exam, which it noted clashes with the ongoing WAEC examination.
Sadly, Nigerians have allowed ethnic and religious sentiments to dominate the discourse. The truth is, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater. The focus should instead be on identifying the real challenges and addressing them squarely and comprehensively.
It is commendable that the JAMB Registrar accepted responsibility for the error, which led to the convening of an emergency stakeholders’ forum to review the entire process.
The technical glitches cited by JAMB for the poor conduct of the exam have been traced to some CBT centres, which I strongly believe should be held accountable after being fully mobilized for a hitch-free exercise. This situation should prompt JAMB to reinvest part of the revenue generated from the exams into upgrading CBT centres nationwide. JAMB should also ensure that at least 70% of candidates participate in the mock exam, especially since some students may be encountering a computer-based test for the first time.
Internal sabotage cannot be ruled out in the handling of the 2025 UTME. Before the appointment of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, no one imagined that JAMB—a service-oriented agency—could transform into one that remits billions of naira annually into government coffers. Clearly, it is no longer business as usual, a shift that may not sit well with entrenched interests who have long viewed the agency as their personal cash cow.
I believe a thorough and independent investigation could validate this concern.
Finally, the family of the young lady who tragically committed suicide in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State due to her low score, as well as others who suffered various losses, should be adequately compensated by JAMB. This could provide some relief to families considering legal action against the board.
JAMB should also review how centres are allocated and ensure proper arrangements for early student arrivals on exam day. Many reports have emerged of parents traveling with their children a day ahead of the exam, staying in hotels overnight to guarantee early arrival for screening—an experience that was both stressful and costly.
Fellow Nigerians, let us resist the bandwagon of ethnic and religious sentiments being used by some political actors to further divide us. We must remain united and committed to rewriting the narrative of our fatherland. We have no other country but Nigeria, and we will all bear the consequences of our collective actions and inactions.
