ASUU-UNN Threatens Legal Action Against JAMB Over Alleged Targeted Failure of South-East Candidates

 

Nsukka, Nigeria — May 14, 2025

Tensions are escalating between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) branch, and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over what the union alleges to be a systemic marginalization of candidates from the South-East region in the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Chairman of ASUU-UNN, Dr. Óyibo Eze, has strongly criticized the examination body over the unprecedented level of failure recorded in the UTME, particularly among students from the South-East and Lagos State. Addressing journalists in Nsukka on Wednesday, Eze alleged that the failure pattern appeared deliberate and discriminatory.

ASUU-UNN, according to its chairman, is considering taking legal action against JAMB if the board does not promptly review and rectify what it describes as a “gross injustice.” Eze pointed to the flood of complaints received from concerned parents, educators, and stakeholders across the region, stating that the situation had gone beyond mere coincidence and demanded urgent national attention.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls and visits by parents and the general public on this deliberate massive failure in the 2025 JAMB examination,” Eze remarked. “We will not sit idly while the academic future of our children is being destroyed.”

Eze expressed dismay over statistics released by JAMB indicating that out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the examination, more than 1.5 million scored below 200—a benchmark often considered necessary for admission into competitive university courses. He claimed that a significant majority of those low scores were concentrated in the South-East and Lagos, where a high population of Igbo candidates reside.

A particularly disturbing case cited by the ASUU leader involved the University Secondary School in Nsukka, where not a single student reportedly scored above 200 in the UTME, despite the school's well-established academic excellence.

“This school has students who have won national competitions, excelled in WAEC and other standard tests,” Eze emphasized. “How is it logical that none of them could score 200 in JAMB? Even if there was an issue of malpractice with one or two students, is that enough reason to invalidate the effort of every other candidate?”

He maintained that such outcomes raised serious questions about fairness, transparency, and the integrity of the examination process. Eze also suggested that the current pattern could be an intentional mechanism designed to exclude students from the region from accessing tertiary education, especially in federal institutions.

“JAMB is aware that children from this region have to attain far higher scores to compete for admission slots, especially in professional courses like medicine,” he said. “Yet, in some other parts of the country, candidates with 120 scores are admitted into the same programs.”

ASUU-UNN is now calling on South-East governors to intervene and take a decisive stand. Eze warned that silence from political leaders in the region would be perceived as complicity, and urged them to defend the rights and futures of their youth.

“Our governors must not fold their arms while the dreams of an entire generation are dashed through a questionable process. We expect them to take immediate action to confront this injustice.”

Beyond the courtroom threats, the union hinted at broader consequences if JAMB does not revisit the released scores. National protests, the chairman warned, are not off the table should authorities fail to act swiftly and fairly.

Eze concluded with a direct appeal to JAMB: “Act now and do the right thing. Review the results and restore public confidence in the examination system. The academic destinies of thousands are hanging in the balance.”

The development adds to the growing scrutiny of standardized testing and equity in Nigeria’s educational landscape, raising critical questions about how national institutions can ensure fairness in an increasingly diverse and competitive academic environment.