Following the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) admission of technical issues during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a prominent academic has called for the immediate resignation of the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
Dr. Christian Okeke, a lecturer in Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, made the demand on Wednesday, condemning what he described as JAMB’s mishandling of the examination process. He stated that accepting responsibility and showing public remorse is not enough, insisting that Prof. Oloyede must vacate his position.
“It’s not enough for the Registrar to cry or take responsibility,” Dr. Okeke said. “He should step down. The damage done to the psychological and academic well-being of these candidates is enormous.”
He particularly criticised the decision to mandate a resit of the examination for nearly half a million candidates, calling it unjust. According to him, the fairest resolution would be for JAMB to release the original, unaltered results of the affected candidates.
Dr. Okeke also faulted JAMB’s initial defense of the poor results—where more than 1.5 million candidates reportedly scored below 200—accusing the board of only admitting technical faults after intense public backlash and looming legal actions.
He questioned the value of the Registrar’s emotional reaction, asking: “How does public display of emotion repair the credibility of the exam process or comfort the thousands of students and families affected?”
Describing the planned resit in 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres across the South-East as "heartless and inconsiderate," the lecturer argued that it only deepens the trauma experienced by the candidates. He called on JAMB to not only release the accurate results but also offer psychological support to affected students and hold those responsible accountable—starting with the Registrar.
Dr. Okeke commended Nigerians for standing up to what he called “unacceptable conduct by a government institution,” and urged continuous civic pressure to demand transparency and fairness in the nation’s education system.
