By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu yesterday, raised serious concerns bothering on the activities and competence of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), blasting the examination body for demonstrating gross incompetence, frustrating Nigerians and the nation’s education system in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Kalu, who addressed the House of Representatives Correspondents on his misgivings, said the examination body has cost Nigerian people so much pain, leaving candidates traumatized and hopeless.

“The mass outcry that followed the release of this year’s results, and the subsequent technical review, demands not only transparency but decisive action to restore faith in our educational system.

“First of all, let me begin by commending the candor, touching humility, and accountability demonstrated by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and his team in admitting to the technical errors that affected nearly 380,000 candidates across the South-East Geopolitical Zone and Lagos. The swift apology and the decision to offer retake opportunities for all affected candidates reflect a commitment to fairness and justice.

“However, we must recognize that these measures, while necessary, do not erase the trauma, disruption, and uncertainty experienced by our young people and their families. Nigeria unfortunately lost a UTME candidate to suicide, consequentially triggered by the ensuing results of this technical glitch. Our heart goes out to the loved ones of this brave young one.”

On the technical Issues in Detail, the Deputy Speaker who sounded quite displeased said, “The technical review results available to me have revealed that a critical system patch essential for the new shuffling and validation protocols was not deployed to the server clusters servicing 157 centres in the South-East and Lagos.

“One of the most critical discoveries made revolved around three major systemic changes introduced in the 2025 UTME. The first was a shift from the traditional count-based analysis to a more robust source-based analysis of results. In previous years, JAMB evaluated the integrity of examination sessions primarily by counting the number of responses submitted per session. If the majority of candidates in a session of 250 submitted a near-complete set of answers, the session was deemed valid.

“Any significant deviation led to the disqualification of that centre’s results.

However, in 2025, a more advanced model was adopted; one that focused on the actual source and logic of the answers provided, rather than just their quantity.

“The second change involved full-scale shuffling of both questions and answer options. This ensured that even two candidates sitting in the same session would not receive identical permutations, thereby enhancing test security. The third change was a series of systemic improvements aimed at optimizing performance and reducing lag during exam sessions. This was a major policy change that saw the best and highest obtained UTME score in 15 years; a remarkable achievement by JAMB in principle.

“However, while these improvements were technologically sound in theory, a major operational flaw was uncovered during the implementation phase.

“The system patch necessary to support both shuffling and source-based validation had been fully deployed on the server cluster supporting the KAD (Kaduna) zone, but it was not applied to the LAG (Lagos) cluster, which services centres in Lagos and the South-East. This omission persisted across all sessions until the 17th session, after which the error was discovered and corrected.

“As a result, approximately 92 centres in the South-East and 65 centres in Lagos, totalling 157 centres, operated using outdated server logic that could not appropriately handle the new answer submission and marking structure. This affected an estimated 379,997 candidates, whose results were severely impacted due to system mismatches during answer validation.

“To verify the scale and accuracy of this issue, JAMB collaborated with the Educare Technical Team, which had gathered response data directly from over 18,000 candidates. After deduplication and filtering, about 15,000 authentic records were analyzed. Of these, more than 14,000 originated from the regions serviced by the unpatched LAG servers, confirming the technical review’s findings. Comparative analyses between JAMB’s internal audits and third-party system evaluations revealed significant overlap, reinforcing the conclusion that the affected centres were indeed operating under impaired conditions.

“As a result, candidates in these centres were unfairly disadvantaged, with their responses improperly validated and their scores misrepresented. This was not a failure of our students, nor a deliberate act of sabotage, but a preventable human error within our system.

“We must not underestimate the toll this has taken. Parents and candidates have voiced legitimate concerns about the hurried scheduling of re-sit examinations, the overlap with ongoing WAEC assessments, the psychological strain, and the logistical burdens of traveling to distant centres on short notice.

“Reports from the resit examinations held on Friday include complaints of difficult questions, time management issues, more technical glitches, poor centre coordination, and a lack of adequate support for those still affected.”

The Deputy Speaker demanded that, in light of these revelations, urgent actions must be taken to protect all candidates that registered for the examination in year 2925.

He demanded a comprehensive review of all Reports, insisting that, “JAMB must immediately review all available technical and independent reports including those from third-party educational technology companies that have gathered candidate-level data to fully understand the scope and implications of the crisis. Only by triangulating internal findings with external audits can we ensure that no affected candidate is left behind.”

Equally, he demanded for an independent System audit, stating that, “Now that the rescheduled examinations have concluded, I urge JAMB to commission an independent, transparent audit of its entire examination infrastructure. This audit should involve external professionals, system engineers, and academic measurement experts to scrutinize every aspect of the CBT engine, question delivery, answer validation, and result collation processes.”

Kalu called for the safeguarding of affected Candidates, stressing that, “It is imperative that candidates from the South-East and Lagos who have already borne the brunt of these failures are not further disadvantaged.

“JAMB must provide a clear, accessible mechanism for remark and appeal, especially for those dissatisfied with the hurried re-sit or who experienced technical difficulties during the second sitting. Furthermore, coordination with WAEC and other examination bodies must continue to ensure that no candidate’s academic progression is impeded by scheduling conflicts.

He sought transparent communication and Data Release, maintaining that, “JAMB should proactively publish anonymized, candidate-level result data for independent verification and open its systems to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests as a gesture of transparency and accountability.

This will go a long way in rebuilding public trust.”

The Deputy Speaker called for the strengthening of Quality Assurance and Real-Time Monitoring saying that, “going forward, JAMB must implement stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent recurrence.Every system update must be thoroughly tested and confirmed across all server clusters before deployment during high-stakes examinations.”

Admonishing the affected candidates, Kalu said, “Your frustration is valid, and your voices have been heard. The integrity of our national examinations must never be compromised by technical lapses or human error. As Deputy Speaker, Iassure you that the National Assembly stands ready to provide oversight and ensure that these reforms are not only promised but delivered.

“Let us turn this painful episode into a catalyst for lasting improvement. Our young people deserve a system that is not only fair, but resilient, transparent, and worthy of their trust.I end with this word of note to JAMB: “Strive even when you stumble; transparency and honesty builds trust, and trust propels us forward.”

Several candidates across the country have raised diverse concerns with the processes as superintendent by the examination body, JAMB.

Several candidates went to their centres but could not write due to technical issues in taking their biometrics and were recaptured with a promised reschedule, which has not been communicated yet, leaving candidates in panic.

Others were outrightly said to have been deprived from writing the examination for being minors, after all processes were completed and the Print Out issued.

Some who wrote the examination reported issues accessing their results with the issues code, averting that the network kept deducting their money, without offering the requested service.

Certain interests in the academic sector have continued to call for the scrapping of JAMB, insisting that the examination body was unnecessary, but allegedly profiteering from candidates.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has clarified its stance regarding the nationwide ban on sachet alcohol.

Mr Kenneth Azikiwe, Director of the FCT Directorate of the agency, in an interview on Monday in Abuja that the temporary lifting of the ban was only valid until Dec.

He emphasised that the recent ministerial lifting of the ban was not permanent and urged the public to disregard misinformation suggesting that the government had permanently lifted the restriction.

“There is a ministerial lifting on the ban of sachet alcohol, but it is only temporary and will be reviewed by Dec. 31, 2025.

“After this date, the full enforcement of the ban will commence.

“The minister granted this temporary relief to allow manufacturers and regulators time to collaborate and ensure a more structured and effective implementation of the ban,” Azikiwe stated.”

He highlighted NAFDAC’s ongoing efforts to sensitise the public across the country, noting that awareness campaigns had reached every state.

“We have sensitised distributors, and we’ve emphasised that alcohol should not be sold to individuals under the age of 18, which is also clearly indicated on product labels,” he added.

Azikiwe also commended the Distillers and Beverages Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) for supporting the awareness drive.

He reassured the public that NAFDAC remained fully committed to regulating alcohol consumption and reiterated that sachet alcohol products containing less than 200 milliliters would be phased out after Dec. 2025.(NAN)

 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said that the organisation would never forget the staff members killed in the Aug. 19, 2003, attack on its headquarters in Iraq.

Guterres was speaking during a wreath-laying ceremony at a memorial in Baghdad to honour the victims of the Canal Hotel bombing – the worst terrorist attack in UN history.

Twenty-two people were killed, including the then UN Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Guterres told the audience that “22 years is a long time, but we will never forget the colleagues who were killed that day in the bombing at the Canal Hotel.

These staff members “were sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and friends who are, to this day, mourned by those they knew and loved,” he said.

“We will always remember their leader, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was also killed in the attack. We will stand with the survivors whose lives were changed forever,” he added.

“And we will remember the courageous colleagues and others who rushed to help on that terrible day, and in the days and weeks after — showing us the very best of the humanitarian spirit.”

Guterres said the memorial stands as a tribute to their lives and their contributions to the people of Iraq.  It also serves as a reminder of how far the country has come since 2003.

The UN chief noted that the women and men of the United Nations had worked tirelessly together with the brave and resilient people of Iraq to support their quest for stability, development and peace.

He stressed that above all, the memorial is “a clear reminder of the vital work that our organisation does around the world — and the dangers our people face in carrying out that work.”

This date “has been forever transformed from a day of unimaginable horror and tragedy here in Iraq into a global day of solemn remembrance for all humanitarians — inside and outside the organisation,” Guterres said.

“Their bravery, dedication, and belief that a better future is possible will always inspire us. And like those whose lives were lost on August 19, 2003, their sacrifices and contributions to our world — and to our vital cause of peace — will never be forgotten.”

The secretary-general was in Baghdad to attend the League of Arab States Summit. He also met with senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

During talks on Sunday, they discussed developments in Iraq and the region, as well as the remaining period of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The secretary-general reaffirmed that the UN remained fully committed to continuing to support the Government and people of Iraq following the mission’s departure.

UNAMI has been in the country since 2003 and is working to conclude its mandate by the end of 2025. (NAN)