The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has admitted that the technical glitches which disrupted the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) almost made him consider resigning.
Oloyede made this known on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting with Chief External Examiners, state technical advisers, and other education officials in Abuja.
“When this happened, my first reaction is to resign, but people advised me that the students will never forgive you because (it will look) like you have abandoned (them) at a time,” Oloyede stated, describing the disruption as one of the most emotionally draining periods of his tenure.
He also announced that JAMB would conduct a nationwide mop-up examination for all candidates affected by the issues. “We are also taking a decision immediately that all those who missed that examination for whatever reason — the 5 per cent or 6 per cent that missed the examination — we would be having mop-up,” the registrar confirmed.
Oloyede defended the Board’s decision to quickly reschedule the exams, explaining, “Most people are asking why the hasty rescheduling? Those people are far from knowing the reality on ground. They are talking from lack of knowledge.” He said the tight academic calendar leaves no room for delays.
A minute of silence was observed during the meeting for a candidate who allegedly took their own life over the exam outcome. Prof. Oloyede described the incident as a profound personal burden, clarifying that his reactions stemmed from empathy, not blame-shifting.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Chief External Examiners group, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, commended Oloyede’s leadership, saying, “And we know that we have shown some kind of leadership by owning up, even though it wasn’t his fault or anybody’s fault.”
