Targeted or Technical? Aisha Yesufu Accuses JAMB of Marginalizing South-East Students

 

The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has ignited a firestorm of controversy following revelations of widespread technical glitches and their disproportionate impact on candidates from Nigeria’s South-East region. The development has drawn strong condemnation from vocal social activist Aisha Yesufu, who has openly accused the leadership of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of orchestrating what she perceives as a deliberate marginalization of students from the region.

Public discourse on the UTME took a sharp turn when JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that certain errors during the examination significantly skewed the performance outcomes of many candidates. The board had earlier confirmed that of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the national examination, over 1.5 million failed to score up to 200 out of a possible 400 marks—a statistic that quickly raised eyebrows across the education sector.

Professor Oloyede further disclosed that a staggering 379,997 candidates from the South-East—comprising states such as Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Ebonyi—were among the most severely affected. He announced that these students would be granted the opportunity to retake the examination due to the technical failures they encountered, which ranged from biometric issues to connectivity disruptions at computer-based testing (CBT) centers.

The registrar's admission, however, has not been enough to allay concerns. Instead, it has fueled suspicions of a deeper, systemic bias against students from a region that has historically expressed grievances of marginalization in various sectors of Nigerian society.

Aisha Yesufu, known for her outspoken activism and role in movements such as #EndSARS and the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, was quick to express her disapproval via a series of posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Her comments were scathing, loaded with historical and emotional undertones.

“It is no longer subtle! Even the dead can see that the South-East is being targeted!” she wrote. “Millions of children were killed and today you want to destroy the education of hundreds of thousands of children.”

Her remarks appear to reference the Biafran War and the perceived continuation of anti-Igbo sentiments decades after the conflict. By connecting historical trauma to present-day educational challenges, Yesufu’s statement underscores the growing sense of disenchantment among citizens from the region.

The UTME, designed as a standardized gateway for admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria, has always been a high-stakes examination. But this year’s edition has exposed critical vulnerabilities within JAMB’s digital infrastructure and processes. Education experts have called for an urgent overhaul of the system to restore public confidence.

Meanwhile, reactions on social media have been mixed. While some Nigerians echo Yesufu’s sentiments, others caution against drawing ethnic conclusions from what may have been an operational failure. Still, the perception of bias has been magnified by the lack of transparency in how CBT centers were allocated and the absence of contingency plans for technical errors.

Parents of affected candidates have expressed deep frustration, with many questioning the feasibility of their children retaking the examination under the same administration. Some have also raised concerns about the psychological toll of the ordeal on the young students, who now face uncertainty regarding their academic future.

Calls for accountability are mounting. Several civic groups are demanding an independent probe into the UTME irregularities, while others are pushing for a decentralized testing system that would allow for more localized control and monitoring of examination logistics.

Professor Oloyede, in a press briefing, emphasized that the retake option reflects JAMB’s commitment to fairness. However, critics argue that the damage has already been done, and that the exam board must do more than offer a second chance—it must confront the underlying issues that led to such widespread failure.

With the 2025 academic calendar looming and university admissions processes fast approaching, the fate of nearly 400,000 South-East candidates hangs in the balance. What was once seen as a technical mishap is quickly morphing into a national debate on equity, transparency, and the long-standing regional tensions that continue to challenge Nigeria’s unity.