“Unjust and Inhumane”: Ohaneze Youths Council Fume Over JAMB's Retake Directive, Seek 300 Marks for Victims

 

The controversy surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has taken a new turn as the youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural group has rejected the proposed rescheduling of exams for candidates whose results were allegedly affected by technical errors.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had earlier acknowledged the occurrence of errors that led to unexpectedly low scores for numerous candidates, particularly from the five states in the South-East region and Lagos. JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, confirmed on Wednesday that discrepancies in result computation had indeed taken place and assured the public that measures were underway to rectify the situation. A fresh exam was reportedly being planned for the affected candidates.

This move, however, has been met with fierce opposition from Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, whose leadership issued a strong statement on Thursday rejecting JAMB’s remedial proposal. According to the group, the idea of retesting the candidates is both unfair and psychologically damaging.

Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the group’s National President, voiced his condemnation of the decision, describing it as a gross act of insensitivity. He argued that forcing candidates to sit for another examination amounts to re-traumatizing them, despite them bearing no responsibility for the errors in the initial results.

“These young people have already been subjected to extreme emotional distress since the day those falsified results were released,” Okwu stated. “Now, they are being asked to go through yet another round of mental anguish, all due to JAMB’s own shortcomings. It is not only unjust, it is inhumane.”

He further questioned the logistics and rationale behind JAMB’s approach. Raising concerns about safety and financial implications, Okwu criticized the Board for not considering the socioeconomic realities of many Nigerian families.

“In today’s Nigeria, where insecurity is rampant and transportation is costly, who will pay for the candidates to travel to another exam center?” he asked. “Are we expecting their already overburdened parents to shoulder this cost, or is JAMB ready to sponsor it? These are questions that demand honest answers.”

In a bold move, the youth leader made a radical demand on behalf of the affected candidates. According to him, JAMB should award an automatic score of 300 to all candidates from the South-East whose results were compromised by the errors. He justified this by asserting the academic competence of Igbo youths, who he said are more than capable of attaining such scores under normal conditions.

“This was not a mistake—it was a systematic attempt to stifle educational opportunities for young Igbo students,” Okwu alleged. “We demand that JAMB correct this deliberate sabotage by awarding a score of 300 to each affected candidate. We will not allow the ambitions of our youth to be toyed with.”

The group did not stop at making demands. It also issued a stern warning to the examination body: comply or face legal action. According to Okwu, any refusal by JAMB to comply with their demand would be met with swift legal retaliation.

“Let it be known that if our demand is ignored, we are fully prepared to challenge JAMB in court. No amount of public apology or crocodile tears from the Registrar will absolve the Board of this failure,” he emphasized.

This unfolding saga has stirred nationwide debate on the transparency and reliability of Nigeria’s standardized testing system. Many observers are now questioning whether a retake is truly a fair solution or merely a convenient fix to deeper systemic flaws.

As the situation develops, all eyes are now on JAMB to see how it will respond to the backlash from one of Nigeria’s most vocal youth advocacy groups. Whether the Board will heed the call for compensation or push ahead with its planned retake remains to be seen—but one thing is certain: tensions are running high, and the youth of the South-East are demanding justice, not just explanations.