The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, is facing increasing pressure to resign following the widespread technical failures that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), affecting nearly 380,000 candidates nationwide.
At a press briefing held on Wednesday in Abuja, Oloyede formally admitted fault and issued an apology over the lapses that invalidated results across 157 examination centres—65 in Lagos State and 92 in the South-East zone comprising Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu States.
According to JAMB’s data, 206,610 candidates were affected in Lagos while 173,387 candidates were impacted in the South-East, bringing the total to 379,997.
“I apologise and take full responsibility, not just in words,” Oloyede said. “I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment.”
Despite the apology and a decision to reschedule the examination for the affected candidates between May 16 and 18, several education stakeholders have criticized the Board’s handling of the situation and called for Oloyede’s immediate resignation.
Dr. Christian Okeke, a senior lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, described the registrar’s apology as “insufficient and emotionally manipulative,” stressing that leadership accountability should involve stepping down when significant lapses occur. “How can the registrar’s tears resurrect the dead and accentuate the depression into which candidates have been plunged?” he asked. “It was almost like a national mourning.”
Okeke further criticized JAMB’s initial denial of any systemic issues, noting that the Board only acknowledged fault after intense public scrutiny and legal threats.
“The least that is acceptable is to release the true results of the candidates, provide psychological support, and ensure that those responsible take responsibility—beginning with the exit of the Registrar,” he added.
A similar position was echoed by Jerry Abure, a lecturer at a polytechnic institution, who said: “If your children were enmeshed in this confusion, you would understand the emotional and psychological damage this error has caused. Resignation should be the first step.”
JAMB, in response, has commenced the rescheduling process. Affected candidates are expected to receive text messages with new examination details starting May 15. The resit will take place across designated centres in the affected regions, with assurances from the Board that new measures have been implemented to prevent a recurrence.
The controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME has triggered broader concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s education testing systems.
Although JAMB has blamed the incident on internal negligence by some staff, stakeholders maintain that more robust oversight and systems audits are necessary to restore public confidence in the examination process.
Political leaders have also weighed in. Presidential candidate Peter Obi described the situation as traumatic and unacceptable while other civil society groups have called for an independent investigation into the matter.
The scale of disruption, combined with delayed acknowledgment from the regulatory body, has fueled demands for urgent reforms within JAMB with calls growing louder for leadership change as a first step toward institutional accountability.
As at the time of reporting, JAMB has not issued any further clarification regarding the status of the disputed results or whether compensation mechanisms will be introduced for affected candidates.
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