The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Benjamin Kalu, has called for an independent audit of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) following technical and administrative challenges during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Kalu emphasised the need for JAMB to develop a more accessible system for remarking and addressing grievances, particularly for candidates affected by technical issues or the rushed resit.
Sympathising with affected candidates and their parents, the Deputy Speaker urged JAMB to strengthen its deployment validation protocols and ensure real-time monitoring during national examinations.
“Every system update must be thoroughly tested and confirmed across all server clusters before deployment during high-stakes examinations,” Mr Kalu said.
He further recommended that JAMB publish anonymised, candidate-level result data to allow for independent verification and accommodate Freedom of Information (FOI) requests—a move he described as vital for restoring public trust in the examination body.
Mr Kalu also called for an immediate review of technical and independent reports, including those from third-party educational technology companies that have compiled data on affected candidates. This, he said, is crucial for a complete understanding of the scope and implications of the UTME disruption.
While commending JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede for acknowledging the agency’s challenges, Mr Kalu emphasised that technical failures must never undermine the integrity of national examinations.
He noted that students and parents raised valid concerns over the rushed resit timetable, clashes with ongoing WAEC examinations, and the stress of travelling to distant test centres on short notice.
Mr Kalu assured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains committed to oversight and reforms aimed at strengthening the education sector and protecting students’ rights.
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