UTME Uproar: Sowore Blasts JAMB Registrar, Calls for Resignation and Manslaughter Probe

 

Amid rising controversy surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Nigerian activist and politician Omoyele Sowore has issued a damning statement demanding the immediate dismissal of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede. The call follows the release of alarming statistics showing that a vast majority of UTME candidates scored below average in this year’s national university entrance examination.

JAMB, the body responsible for administering entrance examinations into Nigerian tertiary institutions, announced that out of 1.9 million candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks. The fallout has ignited intense public debate about the integrity of the examination process, the preparedness of candidates, and the competence of the leadership overseeing it.

Professor Oloyede, addressing the media in Abuja, admitted that errors occurred in the administration of the 2025 UTME and confirmed that some candidates would be offered the opportunity to retake the examination. Text messages are expected to be sent to affected students starting Thursday, notifying them of the rescheduled test.

A total of 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the five states of the South East geopolitical zone have been identified as part of those eligible for the retake. While the Registrar expressed regret over the situation, many see the move as insufficient in the face of what they consider a large-scale failure with severe consequences.

Sowore, a vocal critic of the Nigerian government and founder of the #RevolutionNow movement, took to the social media platform X to lambast JAMB’s handling of the situation. He didn’t mince words, describing the UTME outcome as a “monumental disaster” and placing the blame squarely on Oloyede’s shoulders.

“This is a country of really dangerous public officials,” Sowore posted. “While @JAMBHQ registrar is here forming, he ‘regrets’ the monumental disaster he superintended upon that has claimed a young life, and instead of resigning immediately, he brought to the same press conference a bunch of callous yesmen to clap for him.”

Sowore further accused the JAMB registrar of shedding “crocodile tears” and insisted that accountability must go beyond mere apologies. He urged the federal government not only to sack Oloyede but to begin a criminal investigation into the events surrounding the examination, including possible charges of manslaughter in connection with a tragic death reportedly linked to the examination stress.

His post reads: “The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (@JAMBHQ) Prof. Oloyede bears responsibility for the organization’s egregious errors, which have devastatingly claimed a young life. Shedding crocodile tears is not a remedy for these infractions. As a first step, he should resign, followed by a thorough investigation and possible prosecution for manslaughter. Moreover, JAMB must be scrapped. #revolutionnow.”

This latest call for reform adds to growing pressure on the federal government to address systemic challenges in Nigeria’s educational framework. Critics argue that JAMB has outlived its usefulness, often acting as an additional bureaucratic layer rather than a solution to the quality assurance needs of tertiary institutions.

While some defend the examination body, citing the complexities involved in administering such a large-scale test across the nation, others believe the crisis is emblematic of a broader failure in governance and public sector accountability.

Sowore’s comments have ignited a renewed call for educational reforms and a national conversation on the future of entrance examinations in Nigeria. Whether the federal government will heed this call or double down on support for JAMB and its embattled registrar remains to be seen.