The Hon. Minister
Federal Ministry of Education
Federal Secretariat
Abuja, Nigeria
Dear Sir/Madam,
COMMENDATION FOR PROFESSOR ISHAQ OLOYEDE, REGISTRAR OF JAMB, FOR EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP AND TRANSPARENCY FOLLOWING THE 2025 UTME REVIEW
We write to formally commend Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), for his outstanding demonstration of integrity, courage, and institutional responsibility in the aftermath of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) technical challenges.
In response to public outcry over the poor performance of candidates in the 2025 UTME, JAMB, under Professor Oloyede’s leadership, convened a high-level technical review session on May 14, 2025. This review uncovered a critical deployment oversight in the examination engine infrastructure—specifically, the failure to update certain server clusters in Lagos and the South-East with the latest system patch. This omission affected the answer validation logic for over 379,000 candidates across 157 CBT centres.
Rather than deflect responsibility, Prof. Oloyede took full accountability, issued a public apology, and offered affected candidates the opportunity to retake the exam at no additional cost. His proactive engagement with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to ensure no scheduling conflicts with the ongoing SSCE exams exemplifies strategic leadership in crisis management.
This act of transparency and swift corrective action is particularly laudable in a system often marred by blame-shifting and bureaucratic inertia. Prof. Oloyede’s leadership during this period has not only preserved the integrity of JAMB but has also reinforced public confidence in national examination processes.
Furthermore, the incident highlights the critical role of cybersecurity and system integrity in safeguarding digital examination platforms. The shift to randomized question permutations, advanced scoring models, and improved system performance underscores JAMB’s commitment to innovation. However, the challenges encountered also serve as a stark reminder of the need for rigorous cybersecurity protocols, continuous monitoring, and robust quality assurance frameworks. In an age where ransomware, hacking, and digital fraud are rampant, the need for digital resilience in our educational infrastructure cannot be overstated.
We respectfully urge the Federal Ministry of Education and all relevant authorities to support JAMB and similar institutions in developing stronger cybersecurity systems, fail-safe deployment validation tools, and independent technical oversight to forestall future disruptions.
In conclusion, we commend Professor Ishaq Oloyede for his principled leadership and urge other public officers to emulate this gold standard of accountability and service to the nation.
Yours faithfully,
Barr oludotun sowemimo.
