Following Wednesday’s admission of technical glitches by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB in its last outing, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr Christian Okeke, has asked the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede to go beyond weeping over his incompetence, and tender his immediate resignation.
He said rewriting the exams in some centres is unacceptable, adding that only the release of the true results of candidates would remedy the situation.
Noting that the Board would have continued to grandstand were it not for the sustained pressure mounted on it by concerned stakeholders, Okeke said Oloyede’s weeping and merely saying that he takes full responsibility for the negligence of its staff in one of the most traumatic examinations outing for teenage applicants in history was not enough.
“He should go extra step by resigning from office and allowing the federal government to reposition the Board for effective service delivery”, he stated.
Dr Okeke said it was harrowing and unacceptable for JAMB to initially defend the poor results which saw over 1.5 million candidates score below 200 and insisting that the result reflected the candidates’ true academic abilities.
“It is on record that the Board initially denied any wrongdoing and would not have taken any step to look into its incapacity if not for the sustained pressure and threat of litigation.
“How can the Registrar’s tears resurrect the dead and accentuate the depression into which candidates have been plunged? It was almost like a national mourning.
“The plans for 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri Zone covering the five states in the South East to rewrite the exam is utterly insensitive to human emotions.
“The least that is acceptable from the Board is to release the true results of the candidates, provide psychological support and ensure that those responsible for the horrible outing take true responsibility which must start with the exit of the registrar.
“For once, Nigerians have risen to an unacceptable conduct by government institution and must be commended”, he added.
