“Truck Pushers Cannot Direct Pilots” – Oloyede Replies Those Calling For His Resignation

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has dismissed calls for his resignation following the controversies which have surrounded the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting with stakeholders, including chief external examiners and civil society organizations in Abuja, Oloyede said resigning would have been tantamount to abandoning the affected students in their time of need.

He also dismissed calls for his resignation, suggesting that those making the calls have no moral ground or authority to make such calls or question his leadership credentials.

According to him, “truck pushers cannot direct pilots.”

While the JAMB Registrar disclosed that he considered resignation when the entire saga started, he later reconsidered the move and decided to remedy the situation on ground as much as possible.

“When this happened, my first reaction was to resign. But people advised me that the students will never forgive you—it would appear as though you abandoned them in their moment of need,” Oloyede added.

He submitted that many public reactions were fueled by ignorance and misinformation, calling on stakeholders and the media to stop politicizing educational issues.

Naijaonpoint reports this position follows earlier calls from some stakeholders, including the South-East Caucus of the House of Representatives, following controversies that trailed this year’s UTME.

UTME Not A Measure Of Intelligence

Professor Oloyede submitted during the interaction that UTME is simply a placement test, not a measure of intelligence and should therefore not be used to judge any candidate.

“UTME ranks candidates for available spaces in tertiary institutions. It is not the final measure of a student’s intelligence or future,” Oloyede said.

The JAMB Registrar also mourned the death of a 19-year-old candidate, Opesusi Timilehin, who committed suicide over low UTME scores. He called for a minute of silence in her honour during the meeting.

According to him, “That tragedy broke all of us. Unfortunately, there were also false reports—some parents called me pretending their children had died, only to ask for money later.”