In what may prove to be one of the most egregious violations of educational integrity in recent Nigerian history, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has come under intense scrutiny following the release of the 2025 UTME results. An entire cluster of states — including all five states of the South East geopolitical zone, as well as Lagos — reported anomalously poor results, disproportionately affecting students in Igbo-dominated regions.
The fallout has sparked public outrage, protests, and growing calls for accountability. At the heart of the controversy is a disturbing pattern: the states with the highest concentration of high-performing Igbo students have become ground zero for what authorities dub a “glitch.” But the evidence and lived experience suggest something far more sinister — a deliberate attempt to sabotage academic futures.
“We conducted further enquiry in JAMB system today and confirmed that it is one vendor that managed the LAG cluster,”
tweeted Alex Onyia (@winexviv), CEO of Educare, an edtech firm and leading voice in Nigeria’s education reform space.
“Here are the states under the cluster: Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra, Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi and FCT. We need to subject this vendor to public scrutiny!”
Indeed, such scrutiny is long overdue.
A Pattern of Systemic Marginalization
The South East region has consistently topped performance charts in national examinations, from WAEC to NECO to JAMB. Anambra State, for instance, has been a standout performer, recently ranked first in WAEC performance, climbing from 27th just a few years ago.
The celebration was short-lived — WAEC inexplicably deleted a video from its official platforms that praised Anambra’s success. No explanation was offered. The optics are impossible to ignore.
This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about a long-standing system that demands Igbo students outperform their peers by large margins just to be considered for the same opportunities — admission, scholarships, jobs. In some federal universities, cut-off marks for students from the South East can be significantly higher than those from other zones, despite the Constitution guaranteeing equality of opportunity.
The UTME fiasco is a chilling reminder that, for some, the system is not broken — it is working exactly as designed.
Lagos and the Igbo Problem
Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital and a melting pot of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups, was also hit hard by the glitch — but there is a twist. According to data and anecdotal reports, the most severely affected schools were in Igbo-dominated districts. Parents have reported near-perfect mock results being followed by inexplicably low UTME scores.
Bright, hopeful students who had been preparing for years are now facing an uncertain future. There is no credible explanation from JAMB to reconcile this massive discrepancy.
This has led many to ask: Is this merely a technological mishap, or part of a wider agenda to disenfranchise an ethnic group that continues to defy the odds?
Where Are the Leaders?
The silence of Igbo political and intellectual leaders has been deafening. In a country where identity politics governs much of public discourse, one would expect robust defense of the South East’s brightest minds — not apathy. How can those elected to represent their people remain passive while an entire generation’s academic future is being toyed with?
A true leader stands up when their people are under attack — especially when that attack is veiled under the guise of bureaucratic error.
Accountability Is Non-Negotiable
It is imperative that JAMB releases a full audit of this year’s results, including the names of the vendors contracted to manage each cluster, especially the so-called “LAG cluster.” The public deserves to know who is behind this error, and whether similar problems were encountered in other regions. Transparency is the first step toward rebuilding trust.
Moreover, WAEC must explain why a video celebrating academic excellence was removed without cause. What pressure — political or otherwise — caused them to retract praise that was well-earned?
A Future at Risk
The consequences are more than academic. For many of these students, a poor UTME score means lost scholarships, delayed admissions, and shattered dreams. In a country where educational attainment is a key vehicle for social mobility, such sabotage isn’t just an attack on students — it’s an attack on the future of an entire people.
We must also confront the deeper questions: Why does it take a crisis for Nigeria to acknowledge its ethnic fault lines? Why are the best and brightest from one region consistently treated with suspicion or hostility?
This daylight injustice must not stand.
What Must Be Done
- Independent Investigation: A neutral, external audit of JAMB’s systems and vendors must be conducted immediately. The public has the right to know what went wrong — and who was responsible.
- Public Hearing: The National Assembly must summon JAMB officials and the vendor representatives to testify under oath about the results manipulation and the vendor selection process.
- Legal Action: Affected families should consider a class-action suit against JAMB, demanding redress and the right to re-sit the examination free of charge.
- Pressure from the Top: Igbo governors, lawmakers, and traditional leaders must demand answers, not just statements. Silence is complicity.
- Media Vigilance: Journalists and civil society must continue to document these injustices until reforms are no longer optional.
Finally….
For Nigeria to move forward, it must confront the rot within its institutions — especially those charged with shaping the next generation. Education should be the great equalizer, not another arena for marginalization.
JAMB and WAEC cannot be allowed to operate behind a curtain of opacity. If the system continues to punish brilliance from the South East — whether by error or design — then Nigeria itself risks dimming its brightest lights. The rest of the country should take note: what begins with the Igbos today could be anyone else tomorrow.
