Lagos, Nigeria – May 14, 2025 – Nigerian socialite and outspoken public commentator, Michael Samuel Idoko, has called for the immediate resignation of Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), describing his leadership as “grossly incompetent” and unworthy of the trust of the Nigerian people.
This bold statement comes in the wake of a dramatic and emotional public apology rendered by Prof. Oloyede on Wednesday, following the widespread controversy surrounding the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The JAMB boss overcome with emotion, broke into tears while addressing the media about technical errors that affected hundreds of thousands of candidates, especially in the South-East region and Lagos.
“Despite our best efforts, we are human and not perfect,” Prof. Oloyede stated during the press conference. He also announced that fresh examinations will be conducted for 379,997 candidates across five South-Eastern states and Lagos, beginning May 15. He assured the public that affected candidates will receive text messages with details of their rescheduled exams.
However, this public display of contrition has not gone down well with Idoko, who has lambasted the Registrar’s apology as a “global embarrassment” and a reflection of deeper systemic failure in Nigeria’s educational administration.
“It is shameful and utterly unacceptable that over 300,000 students, our future leaders have had their academic destinies tampered with due to the incompetence of JAMB,” Idoko said in a statement released on Thursday. “The emotional theatrics and crocodile tears of Prof. Oloyede are not what Nigerians need. What we need is accountability.”
Idoko further asserted that the debacle has undermined the integrity of the entire examination process and cast Nigeria in a poor light on the global stage.
“This is not just a national issue; it is a global embarrassment. Parents, stakeholders and the international academic community are watching. JAMB is one of the key gateways to higher education in Nigeria and its failure reflects poorly on the country as a whole,” he added.
The socialite, who has gained popularity for his unfiltered critiques of public institutions, urged President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Education to take immediate action by launching an independent probe into the matter and appointing a new competent Registrar to restore public confidence.
“This is not about politics or personal vendetta,” Idoko said. “This is about the lives and futures of nearly 400,000 young Nigerians who prepared tirelessly for an exam, only to be met with chaos and confusion. Someone must be held responsible.”
Public reaction to the JAMB mishap has been swift and divided. While some have praised Prof. Oloyede for owning up to the mistakes and taking steps to rectify them, others, like Idoko believe that apologies are not enough and that concrete leadership changes are needed to prevent future occurrences.
A mother of one of the affected candidates in Enugu, Mrs. Adaeze Okeke, expressed frustration: “My son traveled miles to write his exam only to face technical issues. We cannot continue like this.”
The Board has faced numerous challenges in recent years, ranging from technical glitches to issues of examination malpractice. While Prof. Oloyede is credited with implementing reforms that have improved transparency in many areas, critics argue that operational failures continue to plague the system under his leadership.
As the Board scrambles to regain control and ensure a smooth re-examination process starting May 15, many eyes remain fixed on Aso Rock, waiting to see whether the Tinubu administration will heed calls for decisive action or offer continued support to the embattled JAMB Registrar.
Until then, one thing remains clear: the 2025 UTME crisis has sparked a national reckoning, and Nigerians, especially their youth, are demanding better.
