NBA Demands Accountability Over JAMB and WAEC 2025 Exam Failures: A Call for Urgent Reform
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticized the handling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), urging the National Assembly to hold those responsible accountable. The legal body described the events surrounding these national examinations as shameful, warning that such systemic failures threaten the very core of Nigeria’s education sector and the dignity of its youth.
JAMB 2025: A Crisis of Technical Errors and Poor Communication
On May 9, 2025, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released the results of the 2025 UTME. However, what should have been a routine announcement quickly turned into chaos, as thousands of Nigerian students took to social media and other platforms to protest discrepancies in their results. Many students insisted that their actual scores were significantly higher than what was officially published by JAMB.
Amid growing national outrage, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, addressed a press conference on April 14, where he admitted to what he described as “technical errors” that affected the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres primarily in Lagos and the South-East.
“We discovered discrepancies linked to faulty server updates, which led to the failure to upload candidates’ responses during the first three days of the examination,” Professor Oloyede revealed.
To mitigate the fallout, JAMB rescheduled the examinations for affected candidates—but gave them only 48 hours’ notice to prepare. This move, which many described as hasty and inconsiderate, further enraged students and parents, with critics pointing out the lack of empathy and logistical planning.
WAEC 2025: A Catastrophe of Delays and Human Rights Violations
As if the JAMB controversy wasn’t enough, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) was next to come under fire. On Wednesday, May 28, WAEC candidates were scheduled to write their English Language paper by 9am. However, across multiple examination centres in Nigeria, students were left waiting for hours under stressful and unsafe conditions. In some locations, the exam didn’t begin until 7pm, and in extreme cases, students reportedly wrote the exam as late as 11:45pm.
These delays sparked national outrage. Parents, teachers, and activists condemned WAEC for what they described as gross mismanagement and a flagrant disregard for the welfare of students.
WAEC later explained in a public statement that the delay was caused by the leakage of the English Language question paper, which necessitated last-minute changes to prevent malpractice. However, the damage had already been done—thousands of students were traumatized, parents were furious, and Nigeria’s already fragile education system took another hit to its reputation.
NBA's Response: A Call for Justice and Systemic Reform
In a strongly-worded statement released on Saturday, May 31, and signed by its President Afam Osigwe and Secretary Mobolaji Ojibara, the Nigerian Bar Association condemned the actions of JAMB and WAEC, calling for a comprehensive investigation by the National Assembly.
“It is very concerning that a new trend of impunity is now emerging from institutions that ought to be leading the way for a better Nigeria,” the NBA stated.
The association reminded the public and lawmakers that education is a constitutional right, and by extension, students deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The statement emphasized that examination bodies have a duty to uphold these rights and that any failure to do so is not just administrative negligence—it is a violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
“The conduct of examinations under shambolic and inclement conditions is unacceptable as it will affect the students’ preparation for the examinations,” the NBA emphasized.
“No sane human being should be compelled to sit for an examination that was advertised to be conducted in the daytime but ended up being done in the night, well outside the time published by the examination body.”
“WAEC did not advertise that its examinations will be conducted in the night in halls where there would be no adequate facilities like power and security. The students never contracted with WAEC to sit for examinations in the night.”
“Any examination conducted under such circumstance is already compromised and amounts to a breach of the students’ contractual rights and sections 34 and 39 of the constitution guaranteeing their right to respect for the dignity of their persons and freedom to receive knowledge, ideas and information.”
Demand for Legislative Action
The NBA urged the Senate and House of Representatives to form a joint committee to probe the circumstances that led to the JAMB and WAEC debacles. According to the association, allowing such events to pass without accountability sends a dangerous message to public institutions that they can fail in their duties without facing any consequences.
“Public officials must be held accountable for every dereliction of duty,” the NBA insisted. “The incidents surrounding the 2025 UTME and WASSCE represent a monumental failure and have further demarketed the country.”
The NBA warned that without appropriate punishment or systemic reform, similar incidents could recur in the future—potentially with even worse consequences for Nigerian students and the nation's global image.
Implications for Nigerian Students and the Education System
The events of May 2025 have once again exposed the deep-rooted problems in Nigeria’s education system. From technical failures and poor planning to lack of communication and disregard for human dignity, the controversies surrounding JAMB and WAEC exams show that significant reform is urgently needed.
Thousands of students affected by these blunders may have to deal with long-term consequences—ranging from delayed admissions, mental health struggles, to loss of faith in the system. It’s not just about missed questions or postponed exams; it’s about the violation of trust between educational institutions and the young Nigerians they are meant to serve.
Conclusion: Time for Accountability, Not Apologies
What happened with JAMB and WAEC in 2025 is not just an administrative failure—it is a national embarrassment and a human rights issue. The Nigerian Bar Association has rightly called for action, not just from the affected agencies but from the legislative arm of government.
If Nigeria is serious about developing a world-class education system, then exam bodies like JAMB and WAEC must be held to the highest standards of integrity, competence, and accountability. Anything less would be a betrayal of the future.
