UTME Glitches: Peter Obi Praises JAMB Boss Oloyede’s Transparency, Calls for Reforms

By Charles Maduka

Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has commended the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, for taking responsibility over technical issues that affected nearly 380,000 candidates during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

In a statement shared via his official X handle on Thursday, Obi expressed concern about the incident, stressing that such glitches in critical national systems must not be allowed to become recurring national crises.

“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,” he said.

He lamented the emotional and psychological burden placed on students and their families, noting that some parents had reportedly suffered trauma and, in tragic cases, even lost their lives due to the stress.

Obi emphasized the importance of preserving the integrity of public examinations, urging JAMB to implement a robust quality assurance system. “This includes rigorous testing and constant auditing of technical infrastructure,” he stated.

He also recommended that JAMB improve transparency and communicate more effectively with candidates and stakeholders to restore public trust.

“There must be no room for further glitches, not in JAMB, not in any arm of government, as the cost of repeated failure is simply too high,” Obi warned.

According to JAMB Registrar Prof. Oloyede, a total of 379,997 candidates were affected by the glitches across Lagos and the five South-East states. He confirmed during a press briefing that 206,610 candidates in 65 centres were affected in Lagos alone, while 173,387 students in 92 centres across the South-East also experienced disruptions.

The situation has triggered nationwide discussions on the reliability of Nigeria’s examination systems and the broader implications of recurring technical failures in public institutions.