By: Manoah kikekon
The socio-cultural group alleges a deliberate plot to marginalize South-East students, threatens legal action if demands are unmet.
 |
| Ohanaeze and JAMB |
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has rejected the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s decision to conduct a rescheduled UTME for candidates affected by technical errors in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The group insists that JAMB should award a minimum score of 300 to impacted candidates from the South-East, calling the glitches a deliberate attempt to disadvantage Igbo students.
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, acknowledged that technical issues led to abnormally low scores and system malfunctions for candidates in the five South-East states and Lagos. Apologizing for the inconvenience, Oloyede revealed that 379,997 candidates across 157 exam centers would be required to retake the test.
“As JAMB Registrar, I take full responsibility and sincerely apologize for the distress caused. Despite our efforts, errors occurred proving that man proposes, but God disposes,” Oloyede stated.
In a strongly-worded statement, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council President Nnabuike Okwu condemned JAMB’s retake decision, arguing that it would subject candidates to unnecessary stress, financial burden, and security risks.
“Our candidates have already endured mental trauma due to JAMB’s errors. Forcing them to retake the exam is unjust,” Okwu declared. “We demand an automatic 300 score for all affected South-East candidates a fair compensation for JAMB’s failure, not the students’.”
Ohanaeze accused JAMB of systematically targeting South-East students, citing the disproportionately low scores in the region. The group warned of legal action if their demands are ignored.
“This appears to be a calculated move to deny Igbo students educational opportunities. If JAMB refuses to act, we will pursue legal redress,” Okwu asserted.
Earlier reports revealed that out of 1.9 million UTME candidates, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 a statistic that has fueled criticism of JAMB’s examination integrity.