By Abu Ismail
In a rare and moving show of accountability, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, publicly admitted that technical glitches affected the recently released Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. According to him, 379,997 candidates were impacted. His expression of deep remorse and acknowledgment of the fault was both striking and commendable in a country where public officials are often slow to admit lapses.
But this incident goes far beyond JAMB. It exposes a deeper, more troubling pattern—one of systemic fragility in Nigeria’s key institutions. That a glitch—an IT failure—could wreak such havoc in one of our most sensitive national processes should worry us all. The fact that it affected not just figures on a screen but real people—students and parents—is a sobering reminder of what’s truly at stake.
Reports have emerged of students experiencing severe emotional distress, while some parents, overwhelmed by the trauma, have suffered tragic outcomes, including death. These are not mere statistics. These are lives thrown into disarray by a system that failed when it mattered most.
While JAMB's rapid response deserves credit, it is not enough. Moving forward, all critical agencies must implement robust quality assurance measures. This means stress-testing IT infrastructure, conducting regular audits, and ensuring that every layer of the system can withstand pressure. Transparent, real-time communication with stakeholders is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.
Our institutions must rise above the culture of casual failure. A single glitch in JAMB today could become a nationwide disaster tomorrow if we do not learn the right lessons.
There must be zero tolerance for failure in systems that hold the future of our youth and the credibility of our nation. Let this serve as a national wake-up call—not just for JAMB, but for every government agency that operates in the digital space.
A new Nigeria is indeed possible. But it starts with getting the basics right.