Mr. Oloyode,
The South-East caucus of the House of Representatives has asked Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede to step down so an independent probe can address what it calls “massive failure” in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement on Monday, caucus leader Rep. Igariwey Iduma Enwo said lawmakers from the region are alarmed because “the five South-Eastern states where we represent were directly impacted by JAMB’s ‘score distortions’.”
The statement notes that members appreciate the registrar’s decision to admit shortcomings instead of “concealing or obfuscating,” yet insists that the remedies offered so far fall “far short of the expectations of our impacted constituents.”
According to the caucus, JAMB’s “knee-jerk and fire-brigade approach” forced many affected candidates, already busy with WAEC exams, to retake UTME papers on less than 48 hours’ notice, leading to poor turnout and timetable clashes.
The result, they say, has been “heart-wrenching for students and parents, and agonizingly shambolic.”
Quoting Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, “Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels”, the lawmakers argue that the flawed 2025 UTME has denied thousands of students that right.
They therefore demand a complete cancellation of the 2025 UTME nationwide and urge JAMB to reschedule it for July or August, after WAEC and NECO, “to ensure that no prospective candidate is disadvantaged.” They also call for “the immediate suspension of those at the commanding heights of JAMB’s digital operations and examination logistics.”
“The Registrar of JAMB is said to be a good man, but then, leadership must carry consequences,” the caucus states.
“We, therefore, call on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, to do the needful, by resigning his appointment, to pave way for a thorough examination and remediation of the root causes of this national shame. That’s the way to go in any civilised democracy, and we expect no less.”
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu had already pressed for a full investigation on Sunday, seeking answers to the technical glitches that, according to lawmakers, hit candidates hardest in Lagos and across the South-East.
