JAMB Glitches: South-East Caucus Demands Resignation Of JAMB Registrar, Oloyede

The South East Caucus of the House of Representatives has called for the immediate resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, over what it termed a “catastrophic institutional failure” in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

In a statement released on Monday, the leader of the caucus, Igariwey Enwo, expressed deep concerns about the widespread technical glitches that affected nearly 380,000 candidates.

These issues have now led to many students being asked to resit the exam, which the caucus described as a gross failure by the examination body.

“The failure of JAMB to manage the situation has been nothing short of catastrophic. The Board’s response to the crisis has been grossly inadequate, leaving students and their families in a state of confusion and uncertainty,” Enwo said.

The caucus also decried poor communication, the scheduling conflicts between the UTME and the ongoing West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations, and the short notice given for the resit exams.

The lawmakers are now calling for the immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME, urging that a new date be set after the conclusion of the WAEC and NECO exams to avoid further disadvantaging students.

“We call for the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics. These are the individuals who should be held accountable for this failure,” Enwo said.

The caucus acknowledged Prof. Oloyede’s admission of the board’s shortcomings but emphasised that the steps taken so far to remedy the situation have fallen far short of expectations.

“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,” the statement read.

Enwo further criticized the Board for issuing a mere 48 hours’ notice for the rescheduled UTME, which directly clashed with ongoing WAEC exams. This, he noted, caused significant distress among students who were already juggling multiple academic responsibilities.

“Reports indicate that the notice was grossly inadequate, leading to a low turnout. In some cases, the rescheduled UTME clashed directly with ongoing WAEC papers, compounding the confusion and distress for students and their families,” he said.

The lawmakers stated that accountability must go beyond public apologies and suggested that Prof. Oloyede’s resignation would allow for a thorough and independent review of the failure.

“His resignation would allow for a thorough, independent review of the failure and restore public confidence in the examination body,” they added.