- Calls for cancellation of 2025 UTME
The South East Caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, over the glitches in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
While acknowledging Oloyede’s public admission of the failure, the caucus maintained that accountability must go beyond apologies.
It insisted that his resignation would allow for a thorough, independent review of the failure and restore public confidence in the examination body.
The leader of the caucus, Hon. Igariwey Enwo, in a statement issued Monday, noted that the response of JAMB had been grossly inadequate.
The caucus cited poor communication, scheduling conflicts with ongoing WAEC examinations, and the short notice given for the resit, adding that the situation has caused unnecessary trauma for students and families.
To this end, the caucus called for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the fixing of a new date, preferably after WAEC and NECO examinations to ensure no student is disadvantaged.
The caucus also demanded the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics.
It said: “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.
“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned, as all five South-eastern states we represent were directly affected by these so-called ‘score distortions’.”
The caucus 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.
It noted: “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.
“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 recognised 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.”
THISDAY
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