Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has dismissed calls for his resignation despite acknowledging glitches in the recent 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and accepting responsibility for them.
His stance comes a day after the South-East Caucus of the House of Representatives demanded his resignation over the examination’s controversies.
JAMB has also addressed the tragic news of Opesusi Timilehin, a 19-year-old candidate from Lagos who reportedly took her own life due to disappointment over her low UTME score of 146.
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Oloyede expressed sadness over the incident during a meeting with the examination body’s Chief External Examiners and civil society organizations in Abuja on Wednesday.
Last week, during an emotional press conference, Professor Oloyede admitted to server and human errors, which led to the rescheduling of the examination for 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the five South-East states.
Speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s meeting, Oloyede shrugged off the calls for his resignation, stating that his stepping down after taking responsibility for the technical glitches would only further disappoint students.
He also voiced his disappointment with individuals who publicly criticize JAMB’s operations without sufficient knowledge.
Oloyede stressed his commitment to accountability, citing his track record in educational advancement and examination conduct.
He said, “The unfortunate case of a lady who was said to have committed suicide was painful for any normal parent. As chief executive of JAMB, I don’t really care where any of our staff come from; all I know is that they have been doing their jobs for years.”
He clarified that his earlier emotional breakdown was “not a sign of weakness, nor is it an excuse to abdicate our responsibilities. Let us not descend to a level where some people begin to pontificate because some people want to take advantage of the situation on the ground.”
The JAMB boss called for a moment of silence to honor the deceased candidate and also expressed concern that some parents and guardians were faking the deaths of their children to garner public sympathy.
He revealed, “On the day of the press conference, I was under intense pressure… Unknown to many of you, I thought many people had committed suicide. One is bad enough. But the text message I received. In fact, one of them, who said my daughter committed suicide this morning because of this, called me in the night, saying that she was looking for money. I was under intense pressure given the false impression that so many things are happening to these innocent children.”
Oloyede expressed profound gratitude to stakeholders for their understanding and support and announced that mop-up exams will be conducted for candidates who were genuinely unable to take the initial examination.
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