What JAMB’s struggle with 1.9 million UTME candidates means for INEC — Reno Omokri

Former presidential aide and socio-political commentator, Reno Omokri, has highlighted the logistical challenges faced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), drawing a comparison to the complexities encountered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in conducting general elections in Nigeria.

In a post on his X account, Omokri reflected on the difficulties JAMB experienced in managing approximately 1.9 million candidates, emphasizing that these challenges should serve as a lesson for Nigerians who often criticize INEC over election conduct.

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“Do you see how challenging it is for JAMB to hold exams for only 1.5 million students annually? The logistical difficulties they face, the hiccups in releasing results, the cancellation of results owing to exam malpractice, and the glitches at some centres, forcing JAMB to cancel exams at 157 centres nationwide. Things even got to a head today, such that the Registrar General of JAMB shed tears as he apologised to the nation,” Omokri stated.

He questioned the expectations placed on INEC, which handles elections for tens of millions of Nigerians, comparing it to the difficulties JAMB faces with a smaller number of candidates.

“After watching this, you still think INEC can conduct simultaneous elections involving 93 million registered voters without recording hitches? You think that elections are a piece of cake and you condemn INEC when things do not go as planned and they have to take extraordinary measures to ensure that elections hold and results are declared?” he asked.

Omokri urged Nigerians to put things in perspective, highlighting the broader challenges institutions face in Nigeria.

“Let what JAMB is going through give you perspective. Mass elections and exams are not easy, especially in a country like Nigeria, where citizens undermine institutions and then accuse them of having integrity issues,” he said.

He also noted that even countries with advanced systems, such as the United States, face similar challenges.

“Even in the United States, there are issues with elections, despite their advanced technology,” Omokri added.

Taking a swipe at critics of both JAMB and INEC, Omokri remarked, “Some people attacking and criticising INEC and JAMB cannot even handle a WhatsApp forum involving five people. Yet, they want these institutions to handle such large-scale logistical challenges perfectly. It is not going to happen. Please cut these institutions some slack.”

JAMB had earlier admitted to errors that affected the performance of candidates during the 2025 UTME, with the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, offering a public apology during a press briefing in Abuja.

Omokri’s comments underscore the need for a more empathetic and realistic understanding of the challenges faced by institutions responsible for conducting large-scale examinations and elections in Nigeria.