The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has formally regretted the death of UTME candidate, Faith Opesusi. He also dismissed claims of conspiracy against a part of the country following the technical glitch recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Since Opesusi’s death last week, JAMB had not commented on the tragedy, preferring to apologise over the technical glitch that affected the examination in parts of the country.
Curiously, the glitch affected all of five states of the South-East geopolitical zone and Lagos, leading to suspicions and allegations that the Board deliberately compromised results of the South-East candidates.
Federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives from the geopolitical zone called for the resignation of Oloyede over the glitch.
They also called for the examination to be completely cancelled and a new date fixed for the exercise across the country.
In a statement signed by the caucus leader, Igariwey Iduma Enwo, the lawmakers described the examination’s outcome as a “national shame.”
They said, “To this end, we 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. We, therefore, call on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, to do the needful by resigning his appointment to pave the 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.”
Oloyede, however, denied the allegation of deliberately targeting the zone..
He said that the death of Opesusi as a result of the examination is regrettable. In the Wednesday meeting of the management where he spoke, those gathered there observed a minute silence in honour of the dead candidate.
The JAMB maintained there was no deliberate attempt to undermine students from the South-East as every candidate is Nigerian and has equal opportunities.
Recall that a politician and activist Omoyele was one of the first to ask for Oloyede’s resignation. On X social media platform, he wrote: “This is a country of really dangerous public officials; while @JAMBHQ registrar is here forming, he “regrets” the monumental disaster he superintended upon that has claimed a young life, and instead of resigning immediately, he brought to the same press conference a bunch of callous yesmen to clap for him. #ScrapJAMB, Sack the incompetent Prof. Oloyede Now! #RevolutionNow
“The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (@JAMBHQ) Prof. Oloyede bears responsibility for the organization’s egregious errors, which have devastatingly claimed a young life, shedding crocodile tears is not a remedy for these infractions.
“As a first step, he should resign, followed by a thorough investigation and possible prosecution for manslaughter. Moreover, JAMB must be scrapped. #revolutionnow.”
In his own comments, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election allegedly marred by technical glitches, Mr. Peter Obi, praised Oloyede for his admission of errors but warned against future occurrences.
Noting that the country should not make glitches a national crisis, he said: “I recently watched the heartfelt press conference delivered by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in which he acknowledged that technical glitches had affected the recently released JAMB results, impacting 379,997 candidates. 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.
“But it raises a very concerning issue on glitches and the grave havoc it’s creating in our country, even in critical institutions like JAMB.
“While JAMB’s swift response and willingness to own up to its shortcomings are worthy of recognition, the incident has brought to light a far more troubling reality: the persistent fragility of our institutional systems.
“The emotional and psychological toll on students, and even parents, some of whom have reportedly suffered severe trauma, and in heartbreaking cases, even death, serves as a reminder of what is at stake. The integrity of examination processes and the reliability of public institutions are not optional; they are foundational to any nation’s progress.
“Going forward, JAMB and similar critical bodies must adopt comprehensive quality assurance frameworks. This includes rigorous testing and constant auditing of technical infrastructure. Moreover, transparent communication with candidates and stakeholders, coupled with the prompt resolution of arising issues, is essential to restoring public confidence.
“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.”
