Yemi Obafemi
Former Provost of the College of Education, Ilesa now University of Education, Ilesa Professor Kolawole Kola-Kazeem, has called for accountability and urgent reforms in response to the controversy surrounding the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
Kola-Kazeem made these remarks during an appearance on The Morning Brief, a programme aired on Channels Television, on Thursday.
Speaking in reaction to recent developments that saw a 70-year-old man break down in tears on live television over examination-related issues, Kola-Kazeem described the incident as deeply troubling and indicative of a larger systemic failure.
His words: “If you see a 70-year-old man cry on live television, that should speak volumes. That tells you the situation is beyond what he feels should be. That tells you how big the situation is.
“We should understand that whatever has happened is based on human error, and whoever is responsible for all of these infractions should be dealt with. One of the things we have here is that each time there are infractions, there are no consequences. Consequences must be given.
“Some children have been punished unnecessarily, unjustifiably. So we should find a way of ensuring that such things do not repeat themselves. We must support the Registrar to make all the necessary amendments so that this does not happen again.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Wednesday announced that approximately 379,997 candidates will retake the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following irregularities in the recently concluded exercise.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while admitting to the errors, Oloyede broke down in tears during a press briefing in Abuja, acknowledging that certain errors during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, conducted at various centres nationwide, impacted candidates’ performance.
