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By Tracy Moses
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, has clarified that the emotional moment he displayed while addressing the technical glitches that affected the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) should not be mistaken for a sign of weakness.
He emphasized that his emotional response did not signify an inability to handle responsibility or a means to evade accountability.
Oloyede made this known on Wednesday, 21st May 2025, while responding to growing criticism of JAMB over the hitches that marred the 2025 UTME exercise.
Recently, the JAMB boss had openly acknowledged that the exam was fraught with some technical issues which adversely affected the performance of a number of candidates.
It will be recalled that after the UTME results were made public, many candidates raised concerns over mass failure, leading to public outcry.
As a result, JAMB was prompted to consult IT professionals to carry out a thorough review of the issues that occurred during the conduct of the examination.
“What was meant to be a moment of celebration turned sour due to one or two errors,” Oloyede admitted.
Out of approximately 1.9 million candidates who participated in the examination, more than 1.5 million reportedly scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks, triggering widespread debate in the education sector.
However, during a meeting with Chief External Examiners, representatives of Civil Society Organisations, and stakeholders from tertiary institutions across the country, Oloyede pushed back against the criticism, saying it’s unfortunate that individuals who struggle to manage small institutions are quick to comment on JAMB’s operations.
The JAMB Registrar said he took full responsibility because of his longstanding commitment to education and examination integrity.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as misleading commentary by individuals unfamiliar with JAMB’s inner workings, many of whom appeared on national television casting aspersions on the exam body.
Oloyede also called for a moment of silence in honour of a candidate who allegedly took their own life due to the exam outcome, saying he was deeply troubled upon receiving the news.
“As the head of this institution, I don’t consider tribe or background when evaluating our staff. What matters is that they have been dutiful over the years,” he stated.
“My emotional moment should not be misread as weakness or used as a justification to undermine our responsibilities. We must rise above the temptation to exploit this situation for personal or political gain,” he added.
Nonetheless, Oloyede said that candidates who missed the exam due to unforeseen circumstances will be given another opportunity to sit for the test.