The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has defended the integrity of the Board and its staff amid backlash over the mass failure recorded during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), particularly in Lagos and the South-East.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting involving chief external examiners, civil society groups, and representatives from tertiary institutions, Oloyede clarified that the poor performance in the affected regions stemmed from human error—not technical malfunction or ethnic sabotage as widely speculated.
“What happened was a human error committed by certain individuals. It does not matter to me whether they are Igbo or not.
What matters is that they are diligent workers for the service providers. They committed a mistake, and we rectified it,” he said.
Oloyede, however, declined to name the officials responsible, stating that he had taken responsibility on their behalf.
“As far as I’m concerned and to the best of my knowledge, there was no sabotage,” he added, dismissing the insinuations of a targeted conspiracy.
The explanation followed mounting criticisms from federal lawmakers, especially members of the South-East caucus in the House of Representatives, who had accused the Board of negligence and ethnic bias.
They demanded the cancellation of the affected results and called for Oloyede’s resignation.
Reacting strongly to the demands, Oloyede rebuffed the calls, questioning the qualifications of his critics.
“Truck pushers cannot direct pilots,” he said bluntly, defending his leadership and describing the attacks as baseless and politically motivated.
The Registrar also announced that JAMB would conduct a mop-up examination for candidates who missed the UTME for verifiable reasons, representing approximately 5.6 per cent of the total candidates.
“We are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will be given another opportunity. It’s not extraordinary. In any academic setting, makeup exams are normal,” he explained.
Addressing further allegations of administrative incompetence and ethnic favouritism, Oloyede emphasized that his tenure had always prioritized merit above ethnicity.
“People say, ‘Where is he from?’ That never mattered to me. I’ve worked with people based on their competence, not their ethnicity,” he said.
The session turned emotional when Oloyede spoke about the tragic suicide of 19-year-old candidate, Opesusi Timilehin, who reportedly took her life after receiving a low UTME score. Visibly shaken, Oloyede admitted he had contemplated stepping down in the aftermath of the incident.
“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,” he said solemnly.
Despite expectations that JAMB would release results from the rescheduled UTME on Wednesday, Oloyede remained silent on the timeline.
However, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, later assured that the results would be released shortly via an official statement.
In his closing remarks, the Registrar urged stakeholders and the media to refrain from politicizing educational challenges, reiterating the Board’s commitment to fairness, accountability, and continuous improvement.
“Let us not descend to the level of opportunists exploiting challenges for personal or
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