Abuja, Nigeria — The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced dat dey go release results of 379,775 candidates who take part for di rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Di results go drop on Thursday following final audits from dem independent observers and school officials.
Di audit team, comprising officials from JAMB, civil society organizations, and academics, dey closely monitor di results to ensure integrity after plenty outcry over mass failure wey happen during di first examination. Dis announcement come after JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirm earlier dat di results for di resit exam would be released on Wednesday, but findings show sey dem still dey audit di results.
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar, don talk sey dem go carry out another mop-up exam to give chance to di over 5.6 percent of candidates wey miss di recently finished UTME. He explain sey di initiative no be anything special but a normal procedure as part of fairness for candidates.
“We dey create new mop-up for those wey miss di original exam. We dey allow all absentees regardless of reason to retake di exam,” Oloyede talk during di announcement. He also emphasize sey di UTME na placement test and e no measure any candidate intelligence. “Our purpose na to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to test how smart person be,” he add.
Oloyede respond to di rising criticism over di process, strongly denying any claims of ethnic bias or administrative failure. “I dey take responsibility not because I fail, but because na wetin leadership require,” he talk. “We must rise above any ethnic profiling.” He also praise candidates and staff for di challenges dem face, saying dem no fit afford to waste time grieving.
Meanwhile, di South-West lawmakers from di House of Representatives don show support for Oloyede amid calls for him to resign from di South-East caucus. Di lawmakers react to di technical failure wey affect nearly 379,000 candidates, putting dem future at risk.
Some lawmakers from South-East, led by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), don demand for Oloyede’s resignation, calling di situation a “catastrophic institutional failure” given how many students affected, especially since di glitches primarily hit dem region.
On di opposite side, Oluwole Oke, a South-West lawmaker, defend Oloyede, calling di resignation demand mischievous. “I fit tell you sey Oloyede no go intentionally cause any glitch,” e talk to The PUNCH. “E admit di mistake and apologize publicly. Wetin else dem want?”
Di call for Oloyede to step down don raise heated debate, with Oke stating sey di JAMB Registrar has demonstrated integrity and transparency during dis crisis. Another lawmaker, Wale Raji, join him, emphasizing sey di issue also affect students from Lagos, and Oloyede’s effort to address di errors should serve as a standard for public officials.
Although di JAMB Registrar wan tackle di mounting criticism by ensuring fairness in di process, di lawmakers from di South-East dey push for accountability, citing di need for immediate corrective actions and suspension of di officials responsible for di technical failures. “We expect JAMB to do beta,” di caucus add, pointing out di significant distress caused to students and families due to di confusion surrounding di examinations.
Do you have a news tip for NNN? Please email us at editor@nnn.ng
