The JAMB 2025 Exam Glitch: A Symptom of Systemic Failure and Ethnic Distrust — Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke
The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scandal orchestrated by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is not merely a technical glitch—it is a shameful indictment of Nigeria’s public institutions and their utter disregard for accountability. What began as a catastrophic error in the examination process has spiralled into a national crisis, deepening ethnic tensions, shattering the dreams of 379,997 Nigerian students, and exposing a culture of impunity that has festered unchecked. JAMB’s initial denial of the errors—blaming students for malpractice or claiming they were caught in the web of anti-malpractice measures—only to later admit fault under public pressure, is a betrayal of trust that cannot be overlooked. The hasty rescheduling of the exam for May 16, 2025, with less than 48 hours’ notice, is an unforgivable burden on students already stretched thin by WASSCE and NECO commitments. This raises a haunting question: is there an ethnic victimisation undertone, particularly against the Igbo community? The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, must take responsibility and resign immediately. I believe that this scandal is a direct consequence of the unpunished INEC election glitch of 2023—a failure that set a dangerous precedent for institutional negligence.
The scale of JAMB’s failure is staggering. The 2025 UTME was marred by a technical error that led to mass failures, with some students’ scores inexplicably fluctuating. Reports of students who initially scored 200 being awarded 360 upon review underscore the depth of the dysfunction. JAMB’s initial response was not to own up to their mistakes but to deflect blame onto the students. As Njenje Media reported on May 12, 2025, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, claimed the high failure rate—over 1.5 million candidates scoring below 200 out of 400—was evidence of the effectiveness of JAMB’s “anti-malpractice measures.” This narrative painted students as cheats, suggesting they were either complicit in malpractice or caught in the web of JAMB’s supposed vigilance. It was a cruel and baseless accusation, one that added insult to injury for students already reeling from the shock of their results. Only after public outcry, trending hashtags like #ThisIsNotMyResult, and the threat of lawsuits did JAMB backtrack, with Prof. Oloyede admitting on May 14, 2025, during a press briefing in Abuja that “one or two errors” had indeed occurred, as reported by PunchNG. This reversal, while a small victory, does not erase the trauma inflicted on students by JAMB’s initial denial and victim-blaming.
The decision to reschedule the exam with such short notice is not a solution—it is a punishment. Students, already navigating a gruelling academic calendar, are being forced to rewrite the exam under immense pressure, with barely a day to prepare. This is not justice; it is an exacerbation of an already dire situation. The logistical nightmare, compounded by overlapping WASSCE and NECO timelines, does not absolve JAMB of their negligence. They failed to plan adequately, hired an incompetent vendor—now rightfully sacked—and allowed the error to persist through seventeen examination sessions before taking action, as TheCable revealed on May 15, 2025. The buck stops with JAMB. They broke the system, and now they are breaking the spirits of Nigerian youth.
More disturbing is the ethnic dimension of this crisis, particularly for the Igbo community in the South-East. The history of marginalisation in Nigeria—stretching back decades, and perpetuated through political exclusion—has left the Igbo wary of systemic sabotage in national examinations. TheCable noted on May 15, 2025, that the 2025 JAMB scandal has “allowed ethnic tensions to fester, reinforcing the painful narratives of past injustices.” Allegations of deliberate score suppression have long plagued JAMB, and the fact that 92 of the 157 affected centers were in the South-East only fuels suspicions of targeted victimisation. JAMB’s initial silence and subsequent deflection of blame onto students do little to dispel these fears. Why did it take public fury and threats of lawsuits for JAMB to act? For a community still grappling with systemic inequities, this opacity feels like a deliberate act of sabotage. The South-East’s call for a boycott, as voiced by many X users, reflects a profound loss of trust in the system—a sentiment JAMB must address with transparency, not dismissive excuses.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, cannot escape accountability for this disaster. His belated admission of errors, delivered with what some have called crocodile tears, is insufficient. Omoyele Sowore’s demand for Oloyede’s resignation is not just warranted—it is long overdue. If a young life has been lost due to the stress of this scandal, as Sowore alleges, then this is no longer about administrative failure; it is about criminal negligence. Oloyede must resign immediately, paving the way for a thorough, independent investigation into JAMB’s operations. The Nigerian youth deserve a leader who prioritises their futures, not one who hides behind excuses and shifts blame onto the very students he is meant to serve.
This scandal is a direct consequence of the culture of impunity that has festered since the INEC election glitch of 2023. During the 2023 general elections, INEC’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failed spectacularly, leading to widespread allegations of voter suppression and electoral fraud. The glitch disenfranchised millions, yet no one was held accountable—no resignations, no prosecutions. The lack of consequences sent a clear message: public officials can fail catastrophically and walk away unscathed. TELL Magazine reported on May 15, 2025, that Nigerians are now demanding accountability from INEC, inspired by JAMB and EFCC’s recent admissions of error. But this awakening comes too late for the students affected by JAMB’s 2025 failure. Had INEC’s leadership been held to account in 2023, perhaps JAMB would have been more diligent. Perhaps the culture of impunity would not have emboldened JAMB to first deny their errors, blame students for malpractice, and then force them into a retest under inhumane conditions. The analogy is stark: unpunished failure begets more failure. The 2023 INEC glitch was the seed; the 2025 JAMB scandal is the bitter fruit.
This must be the last glitch. Nigeria cannot afford another national scandal that jeopardises the dreams of its youth or deepens ethnic divides. JAMB must be overhauled, starting with the resignation of Prof. Oloyede, followed by a transparent investigation into the 2025 UTME. The retest is not a solution; it is a stopgap measure that punishes students for JAMB’s failures. Shouldn’t JAMB just remark the exams and allow students to see their marked scripts, ensuring justice for all, including those whose scores were artificially inflated? Beyond JAMB, the federal government must address the systemic issues plaguing our institutions, from education to elections. Accountability must become the norm, not the exception.
The Nigerian youth deserve better. They deserve a system that values their potential, not one that subjects them to the whims of incompetent administrators and then accuses them of malpractice to cover up institutional failures. They deserve a nation where ethnic distrust is not a reflex response to every institutional failure. And they deserve leaders who take responsibility, not ones who deflect blame and hide behind excuses. Prof. Oloyede, the time to resign is now. Let this be the last glitch—for the sake of our students, our unity, and our future.
Maazi Tochukwu Ezeoke is a Media Practitioner, Public Affairs Commentator and Advocate for Educational Reform in Nigeria.
