UTME 2025: JAMB should be held responsible for Timilehin’s death — NANS

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has said the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), should be held responsible for the death of Miss Timilehin Faith Opesusi, who committed suicide over poor scores in the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

ALSO READ: FULL TEXT: Everything JAMB registrar said about 2025 UTME result errors

This was disclosed in a statement by the Vice President, National Affairs of NANS, Tenyo Dighopho, stating that JAMB should be held responsible and that the family of the girl must be compensated for the loss of their child.

Recall that Timilehin reportedly took her life in Ikorodu area of Lagos on Tuesday after she discovered that she scored 190 out of a possible 400 marks in the exam.

He said, “The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is deeply outraged by the disgraceful and unforgivable negligence exhibited by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), an act that has now cost not just academic dreams but also a precious young life in Lagos State.

“While JAMB has publicly acknowledged errors in the recently released UTME results particularly in Lagos and across five South East states, this admission does not absolve it of responsibility. On the contrary, it confirms our worst fears: that the board, under the leadership of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has failed woefully in its core responsibility. What should have been a straightforward process has instead become a source of trauma, confusion, and irreparable loss.”

NANS also called for a total overhaul of the examination body and the resignation of the Registrar, Prof. Isaq Oloyede.

“Though Prof. Oloyede may have once been praised for introducing reforms in the system, this catastrophic mishandling of the 2025 UTME results has completely overshadowed any prior accomplishments. In a position where precision, credibility, and accountability are non-negotiable, this debacle exposes him not just as a leader who made a mistake but as a failure. A single error that leads to the death of a student is more than enough reason to step down. He should honorably resign, as he no longer holds the moral or professional authority to lead an institution that determines the future of millions of Nigerian students.

“The psychological distress inflicted on candidates, the shattered dreams of hard-working students, and the tragic death of a brilliant young mind make this incident not merely an administrative lapse but a national embarrassment and an institutional disgrace.

“In view of the gravity of this situation, NANS demands the following: First, the immediate resignation of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. No amount of prior success can erase the damage done under his watch. A system this critical cannot be left in the hands of a leadership that has proven to be careless with the lives and aspirations of Nigerian students.”

He, therefore, said that JAMB should be held responsible for the death of the student and compensation given to the family.

“Second, JAMB must take full responsibility for the death of the Lagos student and offer comprehensive support to the grieving family. This includes financial compensation, legal aid, and psychological assistance. No family should be left to suffer the consequences of JAMB’s blunders alone.

“Third, an urgent overhaul of JAMB’s examination and result-processing framework is needed. This restructuring must be carried out with independent oversight to guarantee transparency, prevent manipulation, and rebuild public trust.

“Fourth, while JAMB has announced a rescheduled examination for 379,997 affected candidates, NANS demands that this exercise be conducted with complete transparency and fairness. We will not stand idly by and watch further incompetence put more students at risk. Every affected student must be treated with dignity and fairness in the rescheduling process.

“This unfortunate incident is a slap in the face of the Nigerian education system and a mockery of the sacrifices made by students, parents, and educators. NANS is calling on the Federal Government to immediately intervene, launch a full investigation, and ensure that justice is served not just for the deceased student but for every candidate whose future has been jeopardized.

“We are not calling for change out of emotion, we are demanding it out of necessity. Enough is enough. Nigerian students refuse to be silent while institutions meant to serve us become the very agents of our undoing,” the statement read.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE