2025 UTME Crisis: Lawmakers from South East Call for Leadership

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…call for suspension of digital unit, cancellation of exams over widespread disruptions

By Gloria Ikibah

Lawmakers representing the South East in the House of Representatives have called for the immediate step-down of the Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, citing severe lapses in the recent administration of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The caucus, under the leadership of Rep. Igariwey Enwo, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, expressed outrage over what they termed a systemic breakdown that affected nearly 380,000 candidates, many of whom must now retake the test.

The lawmakers noted that the five South Eastern states were among the hardest hit.

The caucus further criticised the handling of the issue, pointing to inadequate public communication, exam rescheduling that clashed with WAEC timetables, and the short notice provided to affected students.

The lawmakersemphasised that the mishandling has placed avoidable stress on students and their families.

The statement reads: “Last week, particularly on May 14, 2025, the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, made a shocking public admission that due to a ‘technical glitch’ at some examination centres during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), approximately 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would be required to resit the exam.

“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned, as all five South Eastern states we represent were directly affected by these so-called ‘score distortions.’

“Over the past week, we have exercised restraint, hoping that JAMB would provide effective remedial measures to address what is clearly a catastrophic institutional failure—one that has severely shaken public trust and the confidence of students and their families nationwide”.

The caucus also want the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and a new date be fixed, preferably after WAEC and NECO exams, to ensure no student is disadvantaged.

They lawmakers also called for the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics.

They caucus acknowledged Prof. Oloyede’s public admission of the failure, but however maintained that accountability must go beyond apologies.

According to them, his resignation would allow for a thorough, independent review of the failure and restore public confidence in the examination body.

They reminded JAMB of its constitutional duty to guarantee equal and adequate educational opportunities for all Nigerian children, a responsibility they said had clearly been violated in this instance.

“While we acknowledge Professor Oloyede’s openness in admitting JAMB’s failures, we must state unequivocally that the remedial steps taken so far fall drastically short of our constituents’ expectations.

“JAMB’s knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach has been anything but adequate. Students in the South East—many of whom are currently writing their WAEC examinations—were given less than 48 hours’ notice to appear for the rescheduled UTME. Reports indicate that this notice was grossly inadequate, resulting in low turnout. In some cases, the rescheduled UTME clashed directly with ongoing WAEC papers, compounding the distress and confusion for students and their families.

“We must remind Nigerians that JAMB, as a government agency, is duty-bound to uphold the fundamental obligations of government to its citizens. The framers of our Constitution recognized the central role of education in national development. Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution clearly states: ‘Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.’

“By recent judicial pronouncements, this provision now constitutes an enforceable right for every Nigerian child. Sadly, for the thousands of students across the South East, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right to equal and adequate educational opportunities”, the statement further stated.