UTME Error: SAN, Women’s Group Advocate For Scrapping Of Jamb

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Irked by the controversies that has characterized the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME), results, Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL) in collaboration with Southeast Human Rights Civil Society Situation Room, Southeast Women’s Network( SEWNET),Tuesday staged a peaceful protest to the South East zonal office of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office  to canvass for the scrapping of the exam body.

Also joined in the protest were members of 50/50 Action Women Group, drawn from parts of Enugu state.

The protest, led by Prof. Joy Ezeilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, (SAN), and founding Executive Director of WACOL, saw the protestants who matched to the South East JAMB zonal office, located at Annang Street Ogui New layout Enugu  displaying placards with different inscription.

Our Correspondent reports that since (JAMB), released the results, there has been disquiet across the country.

Professor Ezeilo, harped on the need to scrap JAMB which according to her, has outlived its usefulness, stressing that  the problem is systemic and the time for the relevant authorities to put on their thinking cap is now.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof Olarenwaju Oloyede later admitted that technical glitch affected the outcome of the exercise in the entire Southeast and Lagos State. 

Speaking to newsmen at the front gate of the South East JAMB office, which was quickly locked up by Staff of the organization on citing the protestants, Professor Ezeilo, said the peaceful protest was organized by the groups to express their displeasure over the UMTE saga.

She stated that “As parents, teachers, and concerned citizens of  Enugu state, we are protesting to register our displeasure with the ongoing saga at JAMB, and the UTME exams.

“Our children have had enough, we have been traumatized. You see people commiting suicide, some depression, mental problem, all because of JAMB”.

According to the law professor, and former United Nations (UN) special rapporteur, the idea of JAMB deploring technology selectively and conducting examinations in a selective manner was absolutely wrong and counter productive.

She stressed that if organizers of the examination  wish to adjudge it fair, they must make it uniform, noting “that when JAMB admitted responsibility for the glitch of human error, or whatever they called it, we say that was good, and way forward.

“But seeing them within two days refixing another exam without full analysis of what went happened wrong, and without thinking about the parents and current hardship in the country, about people’s affordability, but just imposed examination, worst still, they put a time unknown to law, 6:30 Am, do people take exam this early. 

She wondered why the authorities of JAMB should fix an exam during such a time in the South East zone where there is a high rate of insecurity, exposing our children and wards to all forms of hardship”.

“Some people are still missing as we speak, and our hearts are bleeding, our hearts are very heavy. Enough is Enough”

“So, we are here at the South East zonal office of JAMB to tell  them that they should cancel the examination outright. They should fix another date, if at all, JAMB will continue. 

“But again, I think JAMB should be phased out, because it has outlived its usefulness. Let different universities organize their own examination, and people can choose the universities closest to them as they wish as it was during our own time.”

“People can choose different university exams and if they are called, they can go wherever they want to go.

The law professor equally expressed worry over the hasty manner JAMB organised the rescheduled examination for the affected candidates

Some of the placards displayed by the protestants  during the protest read thus: “we need fairness and transparency in Examination” No more JAMB, we need uniform exam”

“Stop traumatizing our children and youths with UTME, riddled with glitches”  one exam, one standard, reconduct UTME” protect students rights, cancel UMTE 2025,” amongst others.

Meanwhile, efforts by the protestants to submit their protest letter to the JAMB officials proved abortive, as the personnel  refused to attend  to them rather,  were busy videoing them with their self phone from upstairs.

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