Former Provost of the College of Education, Ilesa now University of Education, Ilesa, Professor Kolawole Kola-Kazeem, slammed the board for what he described as “clear human error,” warning that failure to punish those responsible could trigger a repeat of this national embarrassment.
“If you see a 70-year-old man cry on live television, that should speak volumes,” he said on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief. “That tells you the situation is beyond what he feels should be. That tells you how big the situation is. We should understand that whatever has happened is based on human error, and whoever is responsible for all of these infractions should be dealt with. One of the things we have here is that each time there are infractions, there are no consequences. Consequences must be given.”
His call for justice was not just symbolic but critical. According to him, the system has long ignored the emotional and academic consequences of technical failures.
“Some children have been punished unnecessarily, unjustifiably. So we should find a way of ensuring that such things do not repeat themselves. We must support the Registrar to make all the necessary amendments so that this does not happen again.”
JAMB Error Forces Retake for Nearly 400,000 Candidates
JAMB itself admitted the error, with Registrar Ishaq Oloyede holding a press conference to apologize publicly for the massive disruption. The board revealed that 379,997 candidates would be retaking the exam starting May 16, 2025, due to the technical glitch that affected 157 out of 887 centres nationwide. According to JAMB, the error which led to mass failure, was a result of “human error.”
Their statistics revealed that over 78 per cent of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200. Only 12,414 scored above 300, while the majority, over 983,000, fell into the 160–199 bracket. Over 71,000 candidates were absent, while 2,157 are under investigation for malpractice and 97 cases have already beeni confirmed.
In addition, 40,247 underage students were permitted to sit the exam, supposedly for their “exceptional abilities.” Shockingly, only 467 met the cut-off.
JAMB Error Highlights Systemic Failure in Nigeria’s Admission Process
Education and human resource expert, Yomi Fawehinmi, took his criticism a step further, describing JAMB’s entire admission model as obsolete and in desperate need of reform.
“These errors were not discovered because JAMB did enough self-introspection. If you read the press release by the Registrar, he said they noticed something went wrong while the examination was ongoing. I’m concerned that JAMB noticed something was not right and did not immediately stop the exam.”
He also argued that Nigerian students are being pushed too hard. “Nigerian students should not write three exams to gain admission. I don’t think we should have more than two. We should reduce the number of institutions that require JAMB for admission. Let JAMB focus on university admission. The focus would be more concentrated, and people would have alternatives if they don’t succeed with JAMB.”
His proposal suggests limiting JAMB’s scope to what it was initially created for in 1978 — just university admissions to reduce bottlenecks, pressure, and confusion in the system.
JAMB Error is More Than a Mistake, It’s a National Crisis
This isn’t just a system glitch, it’s a failure of leadership, planning, and accountability. With hundreds of thousands of students affected, a public apology isn’t enough. Nigerians deserve answers, not explanations. Students deserve fairness, not recycled mistakes. And the education sector deserves reform, not just remorse.
I agree with Professor Kolawole’s demand for accountability, with this incident, JAMB has not only damaged public trust but exposed the fragile infrastructure behind one of Nigeria’s most critical exams
