Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has acknowledged that the widespread failure of candidates from the South East and Lagos was due to human error rather than a system malfunction.
Previously, he had attributed the failures to a system glitch, a statement that faced criticism from senators and House of Representatives members from the South East.
There have been calls for the examination to be annulled and for a new one to be scheduled for all candidates.
During a meeting with chief external examiners, civil society organizations, and stakeholders from tertiary institutions in Abuja on Wednesday, Oloyede clarified that the error was not aimed at any specific ethnic group.
He admitted that certain individuals were responsible for the mistake but declined to disclose their identities, asserting that he has accepted responsibility on their behalf.
“I’m not interested in the ethnic identity of those who committed the mistake. As far as I’m concerned and to the best of my knowledge, there was no sabotage. There was no glitch. What happened was a human error committed by certain individuals.
“It does not matter to me whether they are Igbo or not. What matters is that they are diligent workers for the service providers. They committed a mistake, and we rectified it. I’ve accepted the mistake on behalf of everybody,” he said.
