The South-East Caucus of the 10th House of Representatives has demanded the resignation of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, following widespread technical failures that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a strongly worded statement signed by the caucus leader, Hon. Igariwey Iduma Enwo, the lawmakers described the examination as a debacle, saying it is “national shame” and called for a total cancellation of the 2025 UTME, urging that a new date be announced for a fresh nationwide exercise.
“To this end, we call for the immediate suspension of those at the commanding heights of JAMB’s digital operations and examination logistics,” the statement read.
“The registrar of JAMB is said to be a good man, but then, leadership must carry consequences. We, therefore, call on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, to do the needful by resigning his appointment to pave the way for a thorough examination and remediation of the root causes of this national shame.
“That’s the way to go in any civilised democracy, and we expect no less.”
Oloyede had earlier acknowledged the failures during a May 14 press briefing, admitting that technical errors had negatively affected candidates’ performance, while visibly emotional. He announced that 379,997 candidates would retake the exam, citing a glitch in 157 of the 887 examination centres.
“It is our culture to admit errors because we know that in spite of the best of our efforts, we are human; we are not perfect,” he said tearfully.
The South-East lawmakers, however, said the damage went far beyond apologies. According to them, the five southeastern states were among the worst hit by what JAMB termed “score distortions.”
They described the development as “a disastrous and catastrophic institutional failure that has shaken the trust and confidence of students and families across the country.”
They concluded, “However, for the thousands of students across the five South Eastern states of Nigeria, the tainted and flawed outcome of the 2025 UTME examination has clearly stripped and denied them of any ‘equal and adequate educational opportunities.’”
