By Lukman Olabiyi
The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) glitches have ignited a heated debate over the tenure of Professor Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
At The Encounter 2025 symposium, themed “Deploying ICT Towards Educational Development”, held on Saturday, stakeholders clashed over whether Oloyede should resign due to technical failures that affected 379,997 candidates across 157 centres, primarily in Lagos and the South-East.
Educationist Dr Peter Oguduro and concerned parents called for Oloyede’s removal, citing the disruptions, including server update failures and scheduling conflicts with WAEC exams, which led to low turnout and distress.
Conversely, broadcaster Patrick Doyle defended Oloyede, stating, “We must not throw away the baby with the bathwater,” praising his accountability and transparency. IT expert Dr Abisodun Durosinmi-Eti and parent representative Mrs Yinka Ogunde echoed this, highlighting Oloyede’s transformative reforms since 2016.
Symposium convener Seun Oyedeji described The Encounter as an annual platform for collaboration and solution-finding. The debate reflects broader concerns about JAMB’s digital infrastructure, with stakeholders urging systemic reforms to prevent future glitches.