The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the National Assembly to hold WAEC and JAMB officials accountable for the problems that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). According to the NBA, these disruptions violated students’ rights and undermined public trust in Nigeria’s exam bodies.
UTME Results Crisis
On May 9, JAMB released 2025 UTME results showing that over 78% of candidates scored below 200 out of 400. Protests quickly erupted, questioning the exam’s integrity. In response, JAMB Registrar Ishaq Oloyede revealed that a “technical error” affected 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in the Lagos and South-East zones. Faulty server updates prevented candidates’ responses from uploading during the first three days of testing. JAMB blamed one of its technical service providers for letting this go unnoticed until after results were published. Affected candidates were given 48 hours’ notice to re-take the exam, prompting calls for Oloyede’s resignation from some South-East representatives.
WAEC Exam Delays
Across several Nigerian states, WASSCE candidates for the English paper waited more than 14 hours before exams could begin. Papers leaked online, forcing WAEC to scramble replacements at the last minute. Many students wrote the exam past midnight—without adequate lighting or security. This chaos sparked outrage among parents, who argued that no student should be forced to sit for a daytime-advertised exam in the dead of night.
NBA’s Position and Call to Action
In a statement signed by NBA President Afam Osigwe and Secretary Mobolaji Ojibara, the association stressed that education is a constitutional right and guaranteed dignity. “The conduct of examinations under shambolic and inclement conditions is unacceptable,” the NBA said. “WAEC did not advertise that its examinations would be conducted at night in halls without adequate facilities like power and security.” The NBA argues that both JAMB and WAEC failed to fulfill their responsibilities, reneging on students’ contractual rights and breaching Sections 34 and 39 of the Constitution, which guarantee dignity and freedom to receive knowledge.
The NBA has called on the Senate and House of Representatives to form a joint committee to investigate these “unfortunate incidents” and ensure those responsible face consequences. “Any examination conducted under such circumstances is already compromised,” the statement read. The NBA warned that without sanctions, a repeat—or worse—could occur.
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