Former Anambra Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has praised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for openly admitting mistakes that affected candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
Oloyede, in an emotional press conference, admitted that technical problems hurt the performance of some candidates during this year’s UTME, which was held across Nigeria earlier this year.
Obi wrote on his social media:“His open admission of fault and the expression of deep remorse stand out as a rare but commendable display of accountability in our public institutions.”
He added that the glitches reveal a serious problem with important institutions like JAMB.
“There must be no room for further glitches – not in JAMB, not in any arm of government. The cost of repeated failure is simply too high,” Obi said.
He also pointed out the emotional damage caused by the errors, saying some students and parents suffered trauma, and sadly, some even died.
“The integrity of examination processes and the reliability of public institutions are not optional; they are foundational to any nation’s progress,” Obi said.
Obi urged JAMB and similar bodies to improve their systems by testing and checking their technology often. He also asked for clear communication with students and others involved to help bring back public trust.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, JAMB registrar Oloyede said:
“It is our culture to admit errors because we know that in spite of the best of our efforts, we are human; we are not perfect.”
He announced that nearly 380,000 candidates affected by the glitches will be allowed to retake the exam.
This comes after reports of technical problems, low scores, and doubts about some exam questions in the 2025 UTME. Investigations showed that 157 out of 887 test centres had technical issues.
