Visibly distraught and intermittently wiping tears with a handkerchief, Professor Oloyede offered a heartfelt apology for the distress caused to the candidates affected by the irregularities. "I apologise for the trauma caused to the candidates," he stated tearfully.
At the outset of the press briefing, the JAMB boss acknowledged the occurrence of "one or two errors" during the conduct of the 2025 UTME. Taking full responsibility for the oversight attributed to the negligence of some of the board's staff, Professor Oloyede announced that a significant number of examination centres in Lagos and the Owerri Zone, encompassing the five states in the South East region, would be required to conduct a resit examination. Specifically, 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in the Owerri Zone would be affected by this directive.
"Today marks a moment we shall not soon forget – a day that should have been filled with celebration for what was, until recently, regarded as our most successful UTME exercise. Regrettably, this joy has been overshadowed by an easily avoidable error by one or two persons," Professor Oloyede lamented.
Elaborating on the nature of the errors, Professor Oloyede explained the geographical scope of the issue. "In simple terms, while 65 centres (affecting 206,610 candidates) were affected in the Lagos zone (comprising only Lagos state), 92 centres (affecting 173,387 candidates) were affected in the Owerri zone, which includes the South East states."
He further clarified the technical glitch that led to the situation. "In clear terms, in the process of rectifying the issue, the technical personnel deployed by the Service Provider for LAG (Lagos and South-East zones) inadvertently failed to update some of the delivery servers. Regrettably, this oversight went undetected prior to the release of the results."
The emotional display by the JAMB Registrar underscores the gravity of the situation and the board's acknowledgement of the impact these errors have had on the aspiring tertiary education students.
The decision to conduct a resit examination for the affected centres signals an effort to rectify the situation and ensure a fair and accurate assessment process for all candidates. The significant number of candidates and centres involved highlights the scale of the technical oversight and the logistical challenge that JAMB now faces in organizing and administering the resit examination.
The apology offered by Professor Oloyede, though delivered in a moment of personal distress, will likely be seen by affected candidates and the wider public as a crucial step towards accountability and resolution of the identified errors in the 2025 UTME.