Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has reacted to growing calls for his resignation.
Some lawmakers and public commentators have urged Oloyede to step down from his position over the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) glitch that affected thousands of candidates.
During a meeting in Abuja with key stakeholders, including chief external examiners and civil society representatives, Oloyede dismissed the resignation calls, saying that many of those making such demands do not understand how the examination system works.
He made it clear that he has no plans to step down, insisting that the board remains committed to fairness and transparency.
He announced that a special mop-up examination will be conducted for candidates who missed the 2025 UTME for valid reasons.
This move, according to him, is aimed at ensuring no student is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
He explained that about 5.6% of registered candidates did not sit for the exam and would now get another chance.
Oloyede also addressed concerns about alleged ethnic bias and administrative failure.
He denied the accusations, saying such claims are based on wrong assumptions and do not reflect the reality of how JAMB operates.
He stressed that staff are selected based on competence, not where they come from.
He expressed concern over the rising trend of misinformation and urged the public and media to avoid turning educational matters into political arguments.
According to him, the UTME is not a test of intelligence, but a way to rank students for placement into higher institutions.
He added that other factors such as post-UTME scores and institutional assessments are also used in the admission process.
While speaking emotionally, Oloyede mentioned the suicide of a 19-year-old candidate, Opesusi Timilehin, who reportedly took her life after seeing her UTME result.
He described it as a painful event that affected many people within the system.
He said there were also false reports of student deaths, with some people even pretending their children had died just to ask for money.
Oloyede revealed that the tragic incident made him consider resigning, but he later decided to continue in his role after discussions with people who encouraged him to stay and continue leading the board during this period.
Although many expected the results of the rescheduled exams to be released on Wednesday, the Registrar did not speak on the matter.
However, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, later confirmed that the results would be made public through an official statement soon.
Oloyede ended the meeting by thanking all stakeholders for their support and promised to continue working to improve the examination process in Nigeria.
