‘Truck Pushers can’t direct pilots’ — JAMB Registrar, Oloyede, dismisses resignation calls over 2025 UTME issues
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has rejected calls for his resignation following criticisms over challenges faced during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), asserting that his detractors lack the expertise to question his leadership.
Speaking during a stakeholder meeting in Abuja with chief external examiners and civil society groups, Oloyede lashed out at critics, saying: “Truck pushers cannot direct pilots,” a remark aimed at those he believes are unqualified to assess or advise on educational matters.
The backlash comes especially from the South-East Caucus of the House of Representatives, which had demanded his resignation over the controversy surrounding this year’s UTME.
Oloyede announced that a special mop-up examination would be organised for candidates who missed the UTME for valid reasons, representing around 5.6% of total applicants.
“This is not extraordinary. In any academic environment, makeup exams are normal. We are doing this to ensure no one is unfairly left behind,” he explained.
Addressing allegations of ethnic bias and administrative incompetence, the JAMB boss firmly denied such claims.
“I have never considered ethnicity in my work. Competence is what I look for. Accusations of conspiracy are completely baseless,” he stated.
He criticised the politicisation of educational matters and urged the public and media to act responsibly, emphasising that UTME is a placement test and not a definitive measure of intelligence.
“The UTME is meant to rank candidates for available tertiary institution slots. Admission decisions also factor in post-UTME and institutional assessments,” he clarified.
Oloyede also expressed deep sorrow over the death by suicide of a 19-year-old candidate, Opesusi Timilehin, due to her UTME results. He called for a minute of silence in her memory and revealed the emotional toll the incident had taken on him.
“I was devastated. My immediate reaction was to resign. But I was advised to stay—resigning would have felt like abandoning these students,” he said.
While there was anticipation that rescheduled exam results would be released on Wednesday, Oloyede did not address the matter directly.
However, JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin confirmed that the results would be made public through an official press statement.
Oloyede ended the meeting by expressing appreciation to stakeholders and reaffirming his commitment to fairness, transparency, and improvement in the nation’s examination system.
“We will address the flaws and continue building a system that Nigerians can trust. Opportunists should not be allowed to hijack genuine efforts at reform,” he concluded.
