Tensions have flared across Nigeria following widespread outrage over the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s technical failures that disrupted the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for nearly 380,000 candidates, predominantly in the South-East and Lagos. The backlash reached a boiling point on Friday as two prominent Igbo socio-political groups, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) and Nzuko Umunna condemned the handling of the crisis and called for sweeping changes, including the removal of JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.
In a statement, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, president of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, declared Nigeria a “failed entity,” blaming the UTME chaos on systemic failures and deliberate marginalization of Igbo candidates. He described the emergency resit scheduled for May 16, just 72 hours after JAMB’s apology, as “evidence that Nigeria was designed to fail,” accusing the board of exploiting students and parents already burdened by economic hardship.
According to OYC, the decision to organize a hasty resit amidst ongoing WAEC exams is not only insensitive but further alienates Igbo students who feel persistently shortchanged in the Nigerian educational system. Igboayaka did not mince words, urging President Bola Tinubu to “rescue Nigeria from this national embarrassment” by immediately firing JAMB Registrar Oloyede.
He went further to suggest that the manipulated failure rates and administrative chaos vindicate the long-standing position of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has pushed for the peaceful creation of a Biafran state. “It’s easier to cross the Atlantic with bare legs than to be an Igbo in Nigeria,” Igboayaka lamented, underscoring what he called a legacy of targeted disenfranchisement.
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Adding to the firestorm, Nzuko Umunna, another respected pan-Igbo organization, issued a strongly worded demand for transparency, calling on JAMB to ensure that all candidates sitting for the rescheduled exams have their scores displayed instantly upon completion. The group, led by former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, and Executive Secretary Dr. Uju Agomoh, criticized the board for delaying result releases and fostering a climate of mistrust.
They argued that since UTME is a Computer-Based Test (CBT), there is no justifiable reason for withholding scores for days. Citing international standards like GRE, GMAT, and TOEFL, where candidates receive instant feedback the group insisted that Nigerian students deserve the same level of clarity and dignity. They warned that allowing the “glitch excuse” to go unchecked could embolden similar lapses in future WAEC and NECO exams, potentially ruining the academic future of thousands.
“We appreciate JAMB’s apology but insist this must never happen again. The current mishandling of the UTME for South-East and Lagos students is unacceptable. Going forward, result display must be instantaneous to eliminate suspicion, promote fairness, and ensure students can challenge discrepancies promptly,” the statement read.
As the controversy deepens, the credibility of JAMB, the federal government’s commitment to equitable education, and the broader integrity of Nigeria’s examination system hang in the balance. The uproar has reignited conversations about systemic bias, digital incompetence, and the urgent need for educational reforms that are transparent, inclusive, and just.
