The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi has praised Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), for demonstrating transparency and accountability amid the controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME results.
JAMB recently released the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, revealing that over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates scored below 200. The results sparked nationwide concern and criticism, prompting the examination body to respond.
In a press conference, Professor Oloyede admitted that technical glitches affected the results of more than 300,000 candidates. He disclosed that issues at 65 centres in Lagos (impacting 206,610 candidates) and 92 centres in the South-East (affecting 173,387 candidates) were responsible for the errors. Visibly emotional, he expressed regret over the incident, which only intensified public criticism of JAMB, with some even calling for the agency’s dissolution.
In a statement titled “Let’s Not Let Glitches Become a National Crisis,” Obi commended Oloyede for his “open admission of fault and the expression of deep remorse,” describing it as a rare but commendable act in Nigeria’s public institutions.
Obi acknowledged JAMB’s swift response but emphasized the deeper issue: the vulnerability of critical institutions to systemic failures. He highlighted the emotional and psychological impact on students and families—some reportedly experiencing severe trauma, and in tragic cases, even loss of life.
The former Anambra State governor urged examination bodies to implement robust quality assurance systems, including rigorous testing and regular audits of their technical infrastructure. He also called for transparent communication and prompt issue resolution to help rebuild public trust.
“There must be no room for further glitches — not in JAMB, not in any arm of government. The cost of repeated failure is simply too high,” Obi concluded.
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