Group Demands JAMB Boss’s Sack Over UTME Failures, Student Suicide
The Nigeria Youth Forum (NYF) has demanded the immediate removal of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, over the technical failures that disrupted the 2025 UTME and the suicide of a 19-year-old candidate, Timilehin Faith Opesusi.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Toriah Olajide Filani, the group described this year’s examination as a “catastrophic failure,” calling for the cancellation of affected sessions and a change in JAMB’s leadership.
JAMB previously acknowledged that technical issues affected about 380,000 candidates—around 19.5 percent of the 1.95 million who registered.
The NYF said this was not a minor issue but a result of “administrative recklessness of tragic proportions.”
“This failure has done more than disrupt results. It has cost lives,” the statement read, referring to Timilehin’s suicide in Lagos. “Her death is a heartbreaking reminder that students bear the brunt of institutional failure.”
The group said it is unacceptable for Professor Oloyede to remain in office after such incidents, stating that JAMB’s operations have become known for inefficiency and unnecessary hardship.
“Students are forced to travel long distances to write a single exam, only to receive results riddled with errors or be told to rewrite the entire test. This must stop,” Filani said.
The NYF also referred to the 2023 case of Mmesoma Ejikeme, who was accused of forging her UTME score. Citing JAMB’s recent admission of system failures, the group said she might have been wrongly accused.
“Mmesoma may have simply been another victim of a broken system,” the forum said. “She and others deserve a public apology.”
The NYF further accused JAMB of shifting its focus from conducting credible entrance exams to generating revenue.
“Year after year, JAMB boasts about remitting billions to the government, while students continue to suffer from a system that can’t guarantee accurate results,” the group said. “JAMB was not created to make profit. Its value lies in academic integrity.”
The group called for the adoption of a Proctored Examination Model, allowing students to take exams remotely or at nearby centers using AI monitoring.
“This is not science fiction. It’s already being done around the world. Nigeria can do it too—we only lack the political will,” Filani said.
The NYF urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Education to act immediately, warning that failure to address the issues puts the future of Nigerian youth at risk.
While noting Professor Oloyede’s acknowledgment of the problems, the group said accountability requires more than statements.
“Taking responsibility is not about words—it’s about action. Oloyede must go, so that public trust in JAMB can begin to be rebuilt,” the statement added.
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