…call for full transparency, safeguard for affected students
By Gloria Ikibah
The Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for sweeping reforms and an independent audit of operations of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), following the 2025 UTME technical crisis that disrupted the results of nearly 380,000 candidates across the South-East and Lagos.
Addressing the nation in response to the growing outcry on Sunday in Abuja, Kalu described the incident as a moment of “deep concern and urgent responsibility,” and warned that public confidence in Nigeria’s educational institutions is at stake.
He said: “The events surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have shaken public confidence in one of our nation’s most critical gateways to opportunity.
“The mass outcry that followed the release of this year’s results, and the subsequent technical review, demands not only transparency but decisive action to restore faith in our educational system.”
While commending the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for admitting to the system failure and offering resits to affected candidates, Kalu noted that the damage done cannot be undone by apologies alone.
“The swift apology and the decision to offer retake opportunities for all affected candidates reflect a commitment to fairness and justice.
“However, we must recognize that these measures, while necessary, do not erase the trauma, disruption, and uncertainty experienced by our young people and their families”, kalu stated.
He revealed that one candidate tragically took their own life as a result of the emotional distress caused by the flawed results, calling it a sobering consequence of the failure.
“Nigeria unfortunately lost a UTME candidate to suicide, consequentially triggered by the ensuing results of this technical glitch. Our heart goes out to the loved ones of this brave young one,” he added.
According to Kalu, the technical review uncovered a critical deployment error in JAMB’s server system.
“A critical system patch essential for the new shuffling and validation protocols was not deployed to the server clusters servicing 157 centres in the South-East and Lagos,” he disclosed.
He further explained that three new system features, source-based answer validation, full question-and-option shuffling, and performance optimization were only partially implemented. While servers in the Kaduna cluster received the full update, those in the Lagos cluster did not, leading to result discrepancies for 379,997 candidates.
He said this was not a failure of the students, nor a deliberate act of sabotage, but a preventable human error within our system.
He noted that third-party analysis by the Educare Technical Team confirmed the scale of the problem, with over 14,000 of the 15,000 verified response logs coming from the affected zones.
Kalu criticised the poor handling of the rescheduled exams, and warned that without urgent reform, trust in the system would continue to erode.
“Reports from the resit examinations held on Friday include complaints of difficult questions, time management issues, more technical glitches, poor centre coordination, and a lack of adequate support for those still affected.
“We must not underestimate the toll this has taken. Parents and candidates have voiced legitimate concerns about the hurried scheduling of resit examinations, the overlap with ongoing WAEC assessments, the psychological strain, and the logistical burdens of traveling to distant centres on short notice,” he said.
Kalu laid out a five-point action plan to prevent future failures:
“Comprehensive Review of All Reports: JAMB must immediately review all available technical and independent reports. Only by triangulating internal findings with external audits can we ensure that no affected candidate is left behind.
“Independent System Audit: I urge JAMB to commission an independent, transparent audit of its entire examination infrastructure to scrutinize every aspect of the CBT engine, question delivery, answer validation, and result collation processes.
“Safeguarding Affected Candidates: It is imperative that candidates from the South-East and Lagos are not further disadvantaged. JAMB must provide a clear, accessible mechanism for remark and appeal.
“Transparent Communication and Data Release: JAMB should proactively publish anonymized, candidate-level result data for independent verification… as a gesture of transparency and accountability.
“Strengthening Quality Assurance and Monitoring: Every system update must be thoroughly tested and confirmed across all server clusters before deployment during high-stakes examinations.
Kalu reassured affected students and families that they were not alone.
“To the affected candidates: your frustration is valid, and your voices have been heard. The integrity of our national examinations must never be compromised by technical lapses or human error.
“As Deputy Speaker, I assure you that the National Assembly stands ready to provide oversight and ensure that these reforms are not only promised but delivered,” he said. “Let us turn this painful episode into a catalyst for lasting improvement”, he stated.
He therefore charged JAMB to, “Strive even when you stumble; transparency and honesty build trust, and trust propels us forward”.
