By IKENNA OSUOHA

The House of Representatives has apologised to Nigerians, especially parents and candidates of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over the avoidable glitch that affected more than 300,000 participants.

The Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, Rep. Oboku Oforji, expressed the apologies, on behalf of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UTME had been marred by a technical error, thus affecting a total of 379,997 candidates from Lagos and South-East zone.

Oforji, who expressed regret the glitch, sympathised with Nigerians, urging them to forgive the JAMB leadership over what he called human error.

“The committee in the House of Representatives responsible for overseeing examination bodies, including JAMB, expresses its deep sympathy for the candidates affected by the errors experienced during the examination.

“We sincerely apologise on behalf of the examination body (JAMB) to all Nigerians,” he said.

Oforji saluted the courage and sincerity of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, for accepting the fault on behalf of his team and apologising to the parents, candidates and the country in general.

The lawmaker, however, affirmed that the human errors were avoidable ‘because it was out of negligence by JAMB.

According to him, the committee also appreciates the eagerness and determination of Nigerian students in pursuing their education to improve the future of the country.

He said that JAMB had consistently made efforts throughout the examination process, from registration to the release of results, adding that unfortunately, errors, which could arise unexpectedly, occurred this time.

Oforji called for an independent and uncompromising investigation into the matter.

“I would like to state unequivocally that the members of the National Assembly share these concerns and extend their apologies to the Nigerian public.

“We also call for an independent and thorough investigation into the matter,” he said.

The lawmaker said that the committee had been making suggestions for reforms that would set a high standard in expertise, in collaboration with JAMB, across the six geopolitical zones, for monitoring.

He stressed the importance of monitoring the examination to avoid similar occurrences in future.

Oforji also emphasised the need to de-escalate the error by ensuring that the image of JAMB and that of the country not scandalised.

“The government and the country’s educational system, which is a cornerstone of our future, cannot withstand another scandal,” he said. (NAN)