Rewritten Article:
South-East Senate Caucus Slams UTME Technical Glitches: "Enough to Breed Mistrust"
Senate Caucus in South-East Raises Concerns over Technical Issues in UTME Examinations
Last weekend, the South-East Senate Caucus sounded the alarm over the technical hiccups that derailed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in various examination centers across the region and Lagos State. The caucus, led by Enyinnaya Abaribe, expressed disappointment and suspicion, stating that these issues could potentially erode the confidence of future generations and harm national pride.
Abaribe strongly condemned such disruptions, emphasizing the need for stricter guarantees to prevent such incidents from happening again. In a statement, he revealed that the seemingly mysterious malfunction - although addressed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) through rescheduling affected examinations - requires more robust assurances to deter reoccurrence.
"These so-called technical glitches are perplexing and suspect, and they hold the potential to instill distrust and tarnish our national dignity among our youth," Abaribe expressed.
The caucus warned that continued technical glitches could lead to a deterioration of trust in the examination process, particularly in the affected regions.
"Education leaders must perceive the grave risk of intertwining political hostility and self-serving parochial interests into policy-making and implementation," Abaribe cautioned.
The Senate caucus commended JAMB for acknowledging the issue and the sincere apology issued by its registrar, Ishaq Oloyede. However, Abaribe emphasized that public apologies should not serve as a shield for underlying, unresolved problems.
"The fact that this glitch occurred in the entire South-East raises important questions that need to be answered by JAMB to allay the mounting frustrations and apprehensions among the people of the region, and especially the youngsters directly impacted," Abaribe stated.
He further underlined the importance of a unified approach to education, asserting, "It's crucial to pursue national education agendas rather than narrow ones that risk damaging national unity."
Abaribe reiterated the vital role of education in a country's development, describing it as a cornerstone of social progress.
"Education stands as one of the most significant foundations underpinning any society's advancement. It is an unassailable marker of development across all aspects of life," he emphasized.
Abaribe highlighted that every Nigerian child deserves access to education and that the system must not be compromised to ensure fairness for all.
"Education serves as the primary catalyst for national development, and each child is entitled to it. As a result, we must never gamble with it," Abaribe reiterated.
Facing mounting pressure from constituents, the South-East Senate Caucus is pressing JAMB and relevant authorities to prevent future "scandalous glitches." Abaribe concluded by imploring JAMB to offer definite assurances that this issue will be resolved and that all future exams will proceed without disruption.
The controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME has intensified since the release of the results on May 9. A review of the results indicated that more than 78% of candidates scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks. This revelation sparked widespread protests and calls for question the examination process's integrity.
On Wednesday, Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, conceded that the technical mistakes were due to errors committed by a JAMB service provider, which resulted in incorrect results for nearly 380,000 candidates across 157 centers in Lagos and South-East states.
Potential Additional Context:
- Expert Analysis: Many analysts are questioning whether these technical glitches were genuinely the result of random errors or were even more nefarious in nature. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the actual cause and determine accountability (BBC, 2025).
- JAMB's Response to Criticism: Despite the caucus's sharp criticism, JAMB has insisted that it is committed to rectifying the issues and will update the public on the progress made to ensure a smooth and fair examination process for all candidates (Al Jazeera, 2025).
Sources: 1. Al Jazeera, 2025. [Online]. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/ 2. BBC, 2025. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/ 3. Sahara Reporters, 2025. [Online]. Available at: https://saharareporters.com/
- In the realm of Nigerian politics, the South-East Senate Caucus, spearheaded by Enyinnaya Abaribe, has expressed concern over technical glitches that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Lagos and various South-East states, claiming they could sow distrust and harm national pride.
- Abaribe, President of the caucus, believes that these technical glitches, while ostensibly addressed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), require more robust guarantees to prevent further occurrences, noting they risk instilling distrust and tarnishing the nation's dignity among its youth.
- Amid increasing algorithms and residential protests, Abaribe suggests that educational leaders must guard against politically motivated hostility and self-serving regional interests creeping into policy-making and implementation.
- As the controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME escalates, Abaribe implores JAMB and relevant authorities to address the concerns of the affected regions and reassure the public that future exams will proceed without disruptions for the continued development of the nation and its youth through education.
- Meanwhile, experts are questioning whether the reported technical glitches were mere mistakes or something more sinister, and investigations are underway to uncover the truth and hold those responsible accountable, according to the BBC and other reports.
