Public Outrage as Nigerians Slam JAMB’s Apology over UTME Failures in South East, Lagos

Public Outrage as Nigerians Slam JAMB’s Apology over UTME Failures in South East, Lagos

Nigerians have strongly criticized the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) following its apology over widespread technical failures that led to mass poor performance by candidates in Lagos and the South East during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, had admitted to a system glitch that disrupted exams in 157 of the 887 UTME centres nationwide. In a statement shared via the Board’s official 𝕏 account, JAMB said:

“Man Proposes, God Disposes! It has been established that a technical glitch affected 157 centres out of the 887 centres in the 2025 UTME. This was basically responsible for the general low performance of the candidates scheduled to sit the examination in those centres.

As such, all the affected candidates will be contacted to reprint their examination slips towards retaking their examinations starting from 16th May, 2025.”

However, the tone of the message—and the biblical proverb used—sparked widespread backlash, with many Nigerians accusing the examination body of trivializing a deeply distressing situation.

Popular actor and activist Debo Adedayo, better known as Mr. Macaroni, was among the first to express outrage.

“I still can’t believe this level of incompetence and irresponsibility laced with total lack of regard for all those affected. This can only happen in a country where there are no consequences for actions! We as a people have become so comfortable with accepting rubbish!!!” he said.

Olufemi Awoyemi, founder of Proshare, also condemned the statement, noting its tone was inappropriate for a matter with such high stakes.

“From a qualifying examination body, this post, describing a life-altering outcome, is unreal,” he tweeted.

Social media influencer Daniel Regha weighed in, questioning the use of the phrase “Man Proposes, God Disposes” to explain a technical failure.

“This phrase isn’t used for a situation like this, and it’s also a very disrespectful way to address a serious problem that has affected thousands of people. As much as this was a reported glitch, the fact it affected only Lagos and the South-East raises questions. While JAMB intends to take responsibility, it doesn’t change what happened or undo the pain and trauma it has caused the affected families,” he wrote.

Other users echoed similar sentiments. Yakub Tijani, tweeting as @YakubTijani2, went as far as demanding the resignation of JAMB’s Registrar.

“The JAMB registrar should RESIGN. I don’t buy his crocodile tears. You can imagine the emotional trauma he has caused high-performing candidates because of their irresponsibility,” he said.

The controversy continues to stir conversation across social media platforms, with many calling for deeper investigation into the incident and improved accountability in Nigeria’s educational systems.