UTME Mass Failure: Obi Decries High Cost of Jamb Error, Demands Institutional Reforms

By Praise Chinecherem

Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi has expressed concern over the recent technical glitches that marred the release of results by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), affecting nearly 380,000 candidates.

In a statement titled “When Glitches Become a National Crisis,” the former Anambra Governor praised JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, for his rare show of accountability in admitting the error and expressing remorse.

He described the gesture as “commendable,” but insisted it highlighted a deeper issue – the fragility of Nigeria’s institutional systems.

Obi warned that the emotional and psychological toll on affected students, including reports of severe trauma and even death, underlined the critical need for reliability and integrity in public examination processes.

“Such failures are not minor mishaps. They shake the very foundations of trust in our public institutions,” he said.

Obi called on JAMB and similar bodies to adopt rigorous quality assurance frameworks, including continuous auditing of technical infrastructure, transparent communication, and rapid issue resolution.

“There must be no room for further glitches – not in JAMB, not in any arm of government. The cost of repeated failure is simply too high,” he stated.