A lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Christian Okeke, has called for the immediate resignation of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.
Naijaonpoint reports that Okeke, following the recent admission of technical glitches in the JAMB examination, described Oloyede’s admission of incompetence as insufficient and insisted that his resignation was the only remedy for the crisis.
In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Okeke criticised JAMB’s handling of the examination debacle, stating that the planned rewriting of exams in some centres was unacceptable.
He stressed that only the release of the true results of all candidates could help restore some confidence in the Board’s ability to carry out its duties.
“The Registrar’s tears and claims of responsibility are not enough.
“He must go beyond this and take the necessary step of resigning from office, allowing the federal government to reposition the Board for effective service delivery,” Okeke said.
Okeke, who decried the situation as one of the most traumatic examination outings in Nigerian history, pointed out that JAMB’s initial defence of the poor results was utterly unacceptable.
He emphasised that over 1.5 million candidates had scored below 200, yet JAMB had insisted that the results reflected their true academic abilities.
He also noted that it was only after sustained pressure from stakeholders, including the threat of litigation, that the Board took action.
He highlighted that, had it not been for this external pressure, JAMB would have continued to grandstand without addressing its incompetence.
“How can the Registrar’s tears resurrect the dead and alleviate the depression of candidates who were affected?” Okeke questioned, adding, “It was almost like a national mourning.”
Okeke also slammed JAMB’s insensitive response to the situation, particularly the plans to hold rewrite exams at 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri Zone, covering the five states in the South East.
He described these plans as “utterly insensitive to human emotions,” particularly in light of the distress candidates have experienced.
Okeke further called on JAMB to release the true results of the candidates, provide psychological support for those affected, and ensure that those responsible for the disastrous exam outing are held accountable.
He stated that the first step in this accountability process should be the resignation of the JAMB Registrar.
“For once, Nigerians have risen against the unacceptable conduct of a government institution and must be commended,” he added.