From Snake Swallowing ₦36m to UTME Technical Glitch: Pressure Mounts for JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede to Resign

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, is facing mounting calls for his resignation following his admission to technical failures in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The latest uproar stems from JAMB’s admission that a “technical glitch” affected 157 out of 887 examination centres during the 2025 UTME, significantly impacting the performance of candidates at these centres spread across Lagos and the five South-Eastern states.

The glitch, which affected the results of candidates, particularly in the Southeast and Lagos, led to widespread complaints from parents and candidates, who lamented that their results do not reflect their true capabilities. 

In a public statement that has since gone viral, JAMB’s official X account posted:

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.

The tone of the post, perceived by many as dismissive and flippant, has intensified public outrage. Critics argue that the message trivialises the severity of the situation, treating the futures of thousands of students as mere collateral damage of a “glitch.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has condemned the technical failures as “unacceptable.” The Union has threatened legal action, accusing JAMB of gross incompetence and demanding accountability for the repeated failures under Oloyede’s leadership.

This is not the first time JAMB has been embroiled in controversy. In 2018, the board faced national embarrassment when a clerk infamously claimed that ₦36 million (approximately US$100,000) had gone missing after being “swallowed by a snake” in the examination body’s vault. The bizarre excuse sparked public ridicule and symbolised the endemic corruption plaguing public institutions in Nigeria.

The recent “technical glitch” and the scandal’s resurgence in public discourse have further eroded confidence in JAMB’s credibility. Fighting back tears, Oloyede apologised for the “errors” in the 2025 UTME system and vowed to ensure the integrity of future examinations. However, apologies are no longer sufficient for many, as they argue that repeated failures have compromised the board’s mandate to conduct credible examinations.

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