Mathew Amaechi
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has firmly rejected allegations of ethnic bias and administrative incompetence following technical errors that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which affected over 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the South-East zones.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, dismissed claims of sabotage during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, attributing the mishap to human error and vowing to rectify the situation through a nationwide mop-up exam .
Oloyede emphasized that the error stemmed from a server update oversight during the exam’s first three days, which failed to properly sync responses from 157 centers in Lagos and the South-East. “There was no glitch or conspiracy—this was a human error by diligent workers. I’ve accepted responsibility, but we must rise above ethnic profiling,” he stated, addressing claims that Igbo candidates were disproportionately affected . The registrar reiterated that JAMB’s operations remain unbiased, stressing, “Every candidate is Nigerian and deserves equal opportunity” .
The error sparked outrage among lawmakers, particularly the South-East caucus in the House of Representatives, which labeled the incident a “national shame” and demanded Oloyede’s resignation. They alleged systemic bias, citing that 173,387 candidates in the South-East and 206,610 in Lagos were impacted by the server failure . The House Committee on Basic Education later confirmed the issue was human-induced, not technical, and criticized JAMB’s negligence while acknowledging Oloyede’s accountability .
To address the fallout, JAMB announced a special nationwide mop-up exam for 5.6% of candidates who missed the initial UTME, including those absent for any reason. Oloyede clarified that the UTME is a placement test, not an intelligence assessment, and assured that affected candidates would receive a fair opportunity . He also highlighted JAMB’s commitment to transparency, citing technological improvements under his leadership, including remitting ₦60 billion to federal coffers since 2017 .
Critics, including academics and ethnic advocates, accused JAMB of targeting Igbo candidates, a claim Oloyede vehemently denied. Analysts, however, noted that the outcry overshadowed broader issues, such as pandemic-related learning gaps and JAMB’s crackdown on “Miracle Centres” notorious for malpractice. The registrar urged stakeholders to avoid politicizing education, stating, “Leadership carries consequences, but we must focus on solutions, not division”