NEWS
Obi Commends JAMB Registrar For Owning Up To UTME Mistakes
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has praised Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), for what he described as a rare show of honesty and accountability following the controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME results.
The exam, taken by over 1.9 million candidates across Nigeria, saw more than 1.5 million students score below 200.
The widespread underperformance sparked outrage nationwide, with parents, students, and education stakeholders questioning the credibility of the test.
READ MORE: 2025 UTME: Human Rights Lawyer Drags JAMB, Education Ministry To Court
Amid the growing public backlash, Prof. Oloyede stepped forward to admit that technical issues had compromised the integrity of the results for nearly 380,000 candidates.
According to him, the glitches affected 65 centres in Lagos, impacting over 206,000 candidates, and 92 centres in the South-East, where another 173,000 were affected.
In a press conference that drew national attention, the registrar tearfully confessed to the errors, citing “technical glitches” as the root cause.
His emotional address stirred fresh debates across the country, with many calling for the Federal Government to either overhaul or scrap the examination body entirely.
Reacting to the development, Peter Obi issued a statement titled “Let’s Not Let Glitches Become a National Crisis,” in which he commended Oloyede’s courage to admit fault publicly.
“I recently watched the heartfelt press conference delivered by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in which he acknowledged that technical glitches had affected the recently released JAMB results, impacting 379,997 candidates,” Obi said.
“His open admission of fault and deep remorse stand out as a rare but commendable display of accountability in our public institutions.”
While appreciating JAMB’s swift response, Obi expressed deeper concerns about what the incident reveals about the state of institutional systems in Nigeria.
He warned that repeated failures of this magnitude come at a heavy emotional cost to the public.
“The emotional and psychological toll on students, and even parents, some of whom have reportedly suffered severe trauma, and in heartbreaking cases, even death, serves as a reminder of what is at stake,” he noted.
Obi advised exam bodies and similar institutions to build stronger internal frameworks that ensure technical reliability.
He called for the adoption of “comprehensive quality assurance frameworks” that involve “rigorous testing and constant auditing of technical infrastructure.”
He also stressed the need for better communication and faster problem resolution to restore confidence in public institutions.
“There must be no room for further glitches — not in JAMB, not in any arm of government. The cost of repeated failure is simply too high,” he said.
As reactions continue to trail the scandal, legal actions are being filed, including a suit involving JAMB and the Ministry of Education over alleged violations of minors’ rights.
The United Nations has raised the alarm over a dramatic surge in attacks on schools worldwide, reporting a 166% increase between 2021 and 2024.
The rise highlights the escalating dangers faced by children in conflict zones.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, revealed the figures during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on the rights of the child on Monday.
The session, themed “Mainstreaming the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict: Prevention and Protection,” focused on protecting children amid global conflicts.
Al-Nashif noted that the attacks were particularly concentrated in Sudan, Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Myanmar, and Ethiopia, where children remain among the most vulnerable victims.
“In 2024, armed conflict directly affected nearly one in six children globally—about 470 million children,” she said. “Years of lost education, trauma, and lasting mental scars shape societies for generations. Long after the fighting subsides, children continue to face deadly risks.”
She highlighted Gaza as having the world’s highest number of child amputees per capita, warning that the impact of war goes far beyond immediate violence.
In Lebanon, government figures show that more than 450,000 people were displaced in less than a week, with at least 394 fatalities, including 83 children, during the 2024 conflict with Israel.
Al-Nashif also stressed the disproportionate risks for displaced children, who are more likely to die from disease linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a 2025 cholera outbreak killed 340 children, underscoring the long-term consequences of conflict.
She called on states to uphold their international obligations to protect children, insisting that protecting children is “both a legal obligation and a humanitarian moral imperative.”
Also speaking at the council, Vanessa Frazier, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that violence against children continued at extreme levels in 2025.
She urged mainstreaming child protection across peace, security, humanitarian, human rights, and development efforts, emphasizing that children should actively participate in shaping policies designed to safeguard them.
Frazier highlighted her office’s global campaign, “Prove It Matters,” aimed at amplifying children’s voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The UN report underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action to protect children and ensure their safety in conflict zones worldwide.
Portugal officially inaugurated its new president, Antonio Jose Seguro, on Monday, pledging to bring stability to a nation shaken by political uncertainty and natural disasters.
Seguro, the centre-left candidate, won last month’s presidential run-off against far-right rival Andre Ventura, following weeks of catastrophic storms that killed at least seven people and caused approximately €4 billion ($4.6 billion) in damage.
Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony in Lisbon’s parliament, Seguro emphasized cooperation with the minority right-wing government and vowed to end the country’s “electoral frenzy.”
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“I will do everything I can to put an end to this electoral frenzy,” he said, pointing to the inability of previous governments to complete their terms.
Amid global crises, including conflicts in the Middle East and a more isolationist US approach under President Donald Trump, Seguro stressed the importance of multilateralism.
“The force of law has been replaced by the power of the strongest,” he remarked.
Seguro succeeds Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative who leaves office at 77 after serving two five-year terms.
While the Portuguese presidency is largely ceremonial, Seguro’s leadership signals a commitment to political stability and international engagement.
Nigerians are facing yet another economic blow as petrol prices surge again. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised the gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N1,175 per litre, marking the third increase in just one week.
The latest adjustment, announced to marketers on Monday, follows a temporary suspension of petrol sales at the refinery on Sunday. Diesel, also known as Automotive Gas Oil, has also been revised upwards to N1,620 per litre.
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A senior refinery official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the hike, noting that it reflects “prevailing market fundamentals and the cost environment we are currently operating in.”
Industry checks show that depot pricing systems have already updated the new rates, signaling an inevitable rise at retail stations.
In some cities, petrol is now being sold at over N1,200 per litre, adding pressure on Nigerian motorists and businesses alike.
This repeated surge comes after earlier increases that pushed gantry prices from N774 to N995 per litre earlier this week.
Experts warn that the hikes are likely to drive up transportation, logistics, and production costs, potentially impacting the prices of goods and services nationwide.
While the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), is working to secure crude supplies for the refinery via international traders, officials cautioned that this may not immediately reduce prices for consumers.
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