From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has charged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to undertake an independent audit of its examination infrastructure.
Kalu, who gave the charge at a press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, said the audit should involve external professionals, system engineers and academic measurement experts.
According to him, the audit should scrutinise every aspect of the Computer Based Test (CBT) engine, question delivery, answer validation and result collation processes.
The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination ( UTME) conducted by JAMB had recorded mass failure. Amid public outcry, the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that the examination in some states, including the South East states, was marred by technical glitch.
The examination body rescheduled the UTME for the areas affected.
Nonetheless, Kalu stated that “reports from the resit examinations held on Friday include complaints of difficult questions, time management issues, more technical glitches, poor centre coordination, and a lack of adequate support for those still affected.”
Consequently, the deputy speaker said “JAMB must immediately review all available technical and independent reports including those from third-party educational technology companies that have gathered candidate-level data to fully understand the scope and implications of the crisis. Only by triangulating internal findings with external audits can we ensure that no affected candidate is left behind.
“Now that the rescheduled examinations have concluded, I urge JAMB to commission an independent, transparent audit of its entire examination infrastructure. This audit should involve external professionals, system engineers, and academic measurement experts to scrutinize every aspect of the CBT engine, question delivery, answer validation, and result collation processes.
“JAMB should proactively publish anonymised, candidate-level result data for independent verification and open its systems to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests as a gesture of transparency and accountability.
This will go a long way in rebuilding public trust.
“Going forward, JAMB must implement stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent recurrence.
Every system update must be thoroughly tested and confirmed across all server clusters before deployment during high-stakes examinations’ Kalu added that “it is imperative that candidates from the South-East and Lagos who have already borne the brunt of these failures are not further disadvantaged.
JAMB must provide a clear, accessible mechanism for remark and appeal, especially for those dissatisfied with the hurried resit or who experienced technical difficulties during the second sitting.
“Furthermore, coordination with WAEC and other examination bodies must continue to ensure that no candidate’s academic progression is impeded by scheduling conflicts.”
The deputy speaker, while stating that the frustration of candidates affected by the technical glitch is valid, noted that the integrity of examinations in the country must never be compromised by technical or human errors.
‘The mass outcry that followed the release of this year’s results, and the subsequent technical review, demands not only transparency but decisive action to restore faith in our educational system.”
However, Kalu commended Oloyede and “his team in admitting to the technical errors that affected nearly 380,000 candidates across the South-East Geopolitical Zone and Lagos. The swift apology and the decision to offer retake opportunities for all affected candidates reflect a commitment to fairness and justice.
“However, we must recognize that these measures, while necessary, do not erase the trauma, disruption, and uncertainty experienced by our young people and their families. Nigeria unfortunately lost a UTME candidate to suicide, consequentially triggered by the ensuing results of this technical glitch. Our heart goes out to the loved ones of this brave young one.
“The technical review results available to me have revealed that a critical system patch essential for the new shuffling and validation protocols was not deployed to the server clusters servicing 157 centres in the South-East and Lagos.”
Furthermore, Kalu said “we must not underestimate the toll this has taken. Parents and candidates have voiced legitimate concerns about the hurried scheduling of resit examinations, the overlap with ongoing WAEC assessments, the psychological strain, and the logistical burdens of traveling to distant centres on short notice.”