Human rights lawyer and political activist, Dele Farotimi, has taken aim at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), describing the agency’s explanation for the mass failure in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as unacceptable and symptomatic of deeper systemic dysfunction in Nigeria.
Gists9ja earlier reported over 300,000 candidates many of them from Lagos State and the South East reportedly failed the 2025 UTME, sparking widespread outcry from parents, students, and education stakeholders.
JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, attributed the massive failure to technical glitches, offering an apology and thanking critics for raising their voices. Speaking in a conciliatory tone, Oloyede said, “We appreciate all those who have lent their voices to the strident complaints about the results we released.
You all did so out of concern, and we are truly grateful. I agree with the sentiment that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. By refusing to be indifferent, you’ve shown your commitment to the system.”
Despite the apology, Farotimi dismissed the statement as inadequate. Reacting via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the Organizing Secretary of the Pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group Afenifere said the situation reflects Nigeria’s lack of accountability and disregard for the rule of law.
“In a society governed by reason, vision, and the rule of law, Oloyede would have been removed from office, and Mahmood Yakubu of INEC would be facing legal consequences,” Farotimi wrote. “There would be public hearings at all levels of government to investigate such failures. But this is Nigeria—nothing will happen.”
Farotimi’s remarks echo growing frustration among Nigerians who believe that public officials are rarely held accountable for failures that directly affect millions of lives. He argued that in functional democracies, technical errors that impact critical sectors such as education or elections would trigger institutional responses, including investigations, firings, and policy reforms.
Many social commentators have also expressed concerns that the UTME failure could have long-term implications for affected students, particularly those from already marginalized regions.
Farotimi concluded by lamenting the lack of institutional integrity in the country, stating, “We are different,” a phrase that underscores his view of Nigeria’s deviation from global governance standards.
As the fallout from the UTME results continues, public pressure is mounting for JAMB to provide a more detailed explanation and for the Federal Government to initiate reforms that would prevent similar occurrences in the future.
