The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to take immediate and tangible steps to compensate candidates whose academic ambitions were jeopardized by the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) lapses, insisting that a mere apology falls short of justice.
In a strongly-worded statement, NOA commended JAMB for publicly admitting its errors—an unusual act of institutional humility in Nigeria’s bureaucratic landscape—but stressed that such acknowledgments are hollow without bold corrective action.
“The failure of JAMB during the 2025 UTME inflicted needless emotional and psychological trauma on innocent candidates,” said NOA Director General, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a statement signed by Paul Odenyi, Deputy Director of Media & Communication. “An apology, while commendable, cannot undo the damage nor restore the lost peace of mind for these young Nigerians.”
The NOA boss emphasized that JAMB’s responsibility does not end with offering retakes or verbal contrition. Instead, he said, the examination body must consider meaningful compensation—financial or otherwise—as a form of redress for the mental anguish, stress, and disruption suffered by affected candidates and their families.
“Recognition of mistakes is only the beginning,” Onilu stated. “Redemption requires action. Restitution is the path to rebuilding trust. If JAMB truly values the integrity of its role, then appropriate compensation must be on the table.”
Mallam Onilu also called for systemic reforms across public institutions, using the opportunity to champion the principles of the National Values Charter, which he said enshrines transparency, accountability, and integrity not as favors, but as obligations of governance.
“When institutions like JAMB own up to their errors and take visible steps to right their wrongs, they don’t just regain public trust—they strengthen the moral backbone of our democracy,” he asserted.
He further warned that negligence and mismanagement in the public service are threats to national development, and NOA will not relent in pushing for a culture of ethical governance and institutional responsibility.
“The era of sweeping failures under the rug must end,” he said. “Our children’s futures are too precious to be gambled with. Leadership in any form must be accountable—and that accountability begins with meaningful action, not press statements.”
As students, parents, and civil society continue to demand answers, the ball is now in JAMB’s court. Will it rise to the challenge of restitution, or will this be just another apology lost in the Nigerian ether of unfulfilled promises?
PIONEER NEWS 