Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has sought for independent probe into the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) system, even as he directed the Federal Government department to initiate an urgent and independent audit of its digital systems following the large-scale technical disruptions that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Recall that the nationwide examination, a gateway to higher education for millions of Nigerian youths, was thrown into turmoil after technical failures reportedly compromised the test results of nearly 380,000 candidates.
In a deeply emotional moment last week, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly took responsibility for the mishap, tearfully acknowledging the Board’s shortcomings and offering affected candidates a second chance through a rescheduled examination.
However, Deputy Speaker Kalu believes the situation demands much more than an apology.
While addressing the media in Abuja on Sunday, in Asokoro, Kalu described the incident as a national crisis that has severely undermined public trust in Nigeria’s examination system.
He said, “This unfortunate episode has jeopardized the aspirations of thousands of bright, young Nigerians. Nigerians are not just seeking apologies—they are demanding accountability, openness, and meaningful reform.”
The Deputy Speaker expressed sorrow over reports of a candidate who tragically took her own life due to the fallout from the examination irregularities, calling it a heartbreaking reminder of the human toll of systemic failure.
Kalu disclosed insights from a technical assessment made available to his office, revealing that a critical software update had not been deployed to server clusters managing 157 UTME centres in Lagos and the South-East region. As a result, those centres ran outdated configurations that were incompatible with recent changes introduced by JAMB.
According to the Deputy Speaker, “In 2025, JAMB rolled out significant updates, switching to source-based result validation, introducing enhanced question randomisation to deter cheating, and optimizing system performance.
“Unfortunately, the Lagos server cluster, which also serves the South-East, never received the necessary patch to support these changes.”
Kalu noted that while servers in Kaduna were successfully updated, those in Lagos continued to operate under old protocols, leading to data processing errors during at least 17 examination sessions. The consequence was widespread failure in 92 centres across the South-East and 65 in Lagos, affecting nearly 380,000 candidates.
An independent analysis by the Educare Technical Team, which evaluated data from over 18,000 examinees, confirmed the systemic nature of the failure. Their findings, Kalu noted, strongly aligned with JAMB’s own internal assessments.
“This wasn’t caused by candidate malpractice or poor preparation. This was an institutional breakdown, one that robbed students of their efforts, their confidence, and, for one family, their child,” he said gravely.
To restore faith in the examination system, Kalu is advocating for a transparent and comprehensive systems audit led by independent experts in technology, cybersecurity, and educational testing.
He charged JAMB to carefully review all reports, both internal and those submitted by third-party technology vendors, to identify root causes and recommend safeguards.
“Only through rigorous external validation can we be sure that no student is left behind or treated unfairly,” Kalu stated.
He also called on the Board to offer special protection and consideration to candidates in the most affected areas, specifically Lagos and the South-East, insisting they must not be further disadvantaged by errors beyond their control.
He proposed the creation of a publicly accessible complaints and appeal platform for candidates dissatisfied with the re-sit arrangements or those who experienced recurring technical issues during the examination.
To promote transparency, the Deputy Speaker also urged JAMB to publish anonymised candidate data for external review and to honour all Freedom of Information (FOI) requests related to the 2025 UTME.
“We must rebuild public confidence in our institutions. Our young people deserve an educational system that upholds justice, not one that deepens despair.” He added.
