"Tears Can’t Fix This Mess": UNIZIK Lecturer Demands Registrar’s Resignation Over UTME Fiasco, Calls Rewrites ‘Insensitive’

 

The storm surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) continues to intensify as a prominent academic, Christian Okeke, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has demanded the immediate resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

Okeke's call came in the wake of JAMB’s public admission of technical failures that marred the conduct of this year’s UTME. According to reports by Daily Post, the Board acknowledged lapses in its systems during the examination exercise—a disclosure that has triggered widespread criticism from education stakeholders, parents, and candidates alike.

The Political Science scholar minced no words in his condemnation of the Board’s handling of the examination, arguing that the emotional display by the Registrar, who reportedly broke down in tears while accepting responsibility for the mishap, was not only inadequate but also deflective of deeper structural issues. He insisted that a resignation would be the only honourable and constructive course of action.

“Professor Oloyede’s tears cannot resurrect the psychological trauma inflicted on candidates,” Okeke said. “What we witnessed was one of the most harrowing national academic disasters in recent history. The teenage applicants—most of whom wrote their first major standardized test—were plunged into avoidable confusion and despair.”

Rather than push for a remedial rewrite of the examination in selected centres, the lecturer suggested that the Board should instead release the authentic scores that truly reflect the efforts of the candidates. He criticized JAMB’s decision to schedule retakes in 65 centres across Lagos and 92 in the South East—comprising five states under the Owerri zone—describing the plan as both emotionally tone-deaf and logistically ill-considered.

According to Okeke, the exam body’s initial stance worsened public trust. The Board had previously defended the dismal performance of candidates—over 1.5 million of whom scored below 200—claiming that the poor results were accurate indicators of academic competence. This, he said, was a blatant attempt to shield systemic failings.

He further alleged that JAMB’s admission of fault only came under the weight of unrelenting public scrutiny and the looming threat of legal action from concerned individuals and civil society groups. “Were it not for the consistent pressure mounted by parents, educators, and other stakeholders, the Board would have maintained its defensive posture and left the candidates to suffer the consequences in silence.”

Okeke emphasized that leadership in sensitive public institutions demands more than rhetoric and emotional reactions. “It is not enough to weep and claim responsibility. Leadership is about accountability. If an institution under your watch plunges millions of students into distress, you must not only accept blame—you must act decisively, and sometimes, that means stepping aside.”

The academic suggested that a change in leadership could provide the necessary reset for JAMB to rebuild credibility and reform its internal processes. “It is high time the federal government stepped in to reposition the Board for proper service delivery. The future of our students and the integrity of our national examination systems are too important to be left to emotional gestures.”

As the fallout continues, the Federal Ministry of Education is yet to issue a formal response to growing calls for administrative shakeups within JAMB. Meanwhile, affected candidates and their families remain in limbo, awaiting clarity on whether their original results will stand or if they will be forced to undergo a second round of assessments.

The latest controversy adds to a growing list of concerns about Nigeria’s centralized examination systems and renews urgent calls for digital transparency, contingency planning, and improved oversight in high-stakes public testing.