Renowned human rights lawyer and Afenifere Organising Secretary, Dele Farotimi, has strongly criticised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) following the mass failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), particularly in the South East and Lagos State, affecting over 300,000 candidates.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had earlier apologised for what he described as a system glitch, which reportedly contributed to the poor performance of the candidates. He acknowledged widespread concern and thanked critics for speaking out.
“We appreciate all those who have lent their voices to the strident complaints… The opposite of life is not death, it is indifference. By not being indifferent to JAMB, we are grateful,” Oloyede stated.
However, Farotimi dismissed the apology, describing it as insufficient in a country that should be governed by law and accountability.
“In a place governed with vision, inhabited by the rational, and ruled by law, [INEC Chairman] Yakubu would be resident in a prison cell, Oloyede fired, and public hearings would have been scheduled by the government at multiple levels. But this is Nigeria. Nothing will happen. We are different,” Farotimi wrote on his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) handle.
Mass Failure Sparks Outcry
This year’s UTME sparked nationwide outrage after hundreds of thousands of candidates received unexpectedly low scores, with parents and education stakeholders alleging systemic issues ranging from server errors to abrupt computer shutdowns during exams.
While JAMB insists the examination process remains credible, Farotimi and other critics argue that an apology does not erase the trauma, lost opportunities, and institutional failure suffered by affected students and families.
Call for Reforms and Public Inquiries
Farotimi’s comments echo wider calls for urgent reform within Nigeria’s education and examination systems, as well as public hearings to investigate recurring issues in national assessments.
He also drew parallels with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), suggesting that institutional impunity has become a defining feature of governance in Nigeria.
“Oloyede will not face any consequence, just like Yakubu did not, despite the glaring failures under their watch. That is the tragedy of the Nigerian system,” he added.
Public Demands Grow
Parents, education advocacy groups, and student unions are now demanding:
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Transparent audits of JAMB’s systems;
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Re-assessment opportunities for affected candidates;
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And institutional penalties for administrative negligence.
So far, JAMB has neither announced a re-examination nor indicated disciplinary measures for the failure, fueling suspicions of systemic indifference.
