Rights Group Defends JAMB Registrar, Slams Lawmakers’ Call for Resignation as Unfair and Politically Motivated
A Nigerian civil society group, the Human Rights Watch Foundation, has criticized calls by South-East lawmakers in the House of Representatives for the resignation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. The lawmakers had demanded Oloyede step down over the technical issues that plagued the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement signed on Wednesday by its Vice President, Tijjani Sarki, the group described the call for resignation as “premature, unfair,” and driven by “selective outrage and political grandstanding.”
“Yes, the UTME glitches were unfortunate and affected many students, especially in the South-East,” the statement said. “But demanding Oloyede’s resignation is not the solution—it’s a political overreaction.”
CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BELOW AFTER THESE IMPORTANT NOTICES
Log in to primsol.lawpavilion.com and store.lawpavilion.com to enjoy the best E-journals, textbooks, and many more. For further enquiries/assistance, send an email to customercare@lawpavilion.com or call 08050298729
Sarki questioned why similar accountability wasn’t demanded in more severe cases involving national institutions such as INEC, the Central Bank, or the NNPC. He noted that despite repeated failures in these agencies, no one called for their leaders to resign.
“Why is JAMB being singled out?” he asked. “Professor Oloyede is widely credited with reforming JAMB and turning it into a model of transparency. He shouldn’t be punished for a one-off technical failure, especially after taking full responsibility and offering free retakes to nearly 400,000 candidates.”
The group welcomed a full investigation into the exam failure and supported the suspension of any JAMB staff found responsible. However, it warned against using Oloyede as a scapegoat.
“We must not send the wrong message by punishing reformers while ignoring chronic failures in other sectors,” the statement concluded. “What Nigeria needs is consistent accountability, not selective outrage.”
Earlier, the South-East Caucus of the House had called for both the cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the immediate resignation of the JAMB Registrar.
FOR SUPPORT TO BARRISTERNG BLOG, DONATE TO: 1. NAIRA ACCOUNT: 1023046978 - UBA 2. USD ACCOUNT: 5090743566 - FIDELITY BANK PLC
Call Bridget Edokwe Esq on 08060798767 or send your articles to barristerngblog@gmail.com
A Must-Have for Every Lawyer: Order Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye’s Latest Books on Electronic Evidence Today: To order your copies, click the link below and order directly from the author:
https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/
SHOP NOW
The Price is 10k for Hard Copy less freight and 5k for E- Book copy in the Store of the Website. https://buokorie.com/store/ To access the hard copy, Call - 07087622283
