On Sunday, Dr Mukail Akinde, rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro (FPI), Ogun State, urged Nigerians to blame the controversial low performance of candidates at the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on software malfunctions, not the Executive Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede.
Akinde particularly called on Nigerians to applaud Prof. Oloyede for a deserved commendation for introducing technological innovation into the UTME, rather than condemning him over an unintended system error that was at play during the examination.
Akinde, who spoke with newsmen yesterday in Ilaro, headquarters of Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun, asserted that it is common knowledge that technological inventions worldwide are susceptible to malfunction, as no software is immune to malfunction.
Reacting to the positions of some human rights activists who had earlier advocated for the sack of the JAMB registrar, Akinde declared that Nigerians should consider and evaluate Oloyede’s motive for introducing the Computer-Based Test (CBT), “which was more about improving the quality of education and eradicating the age-long examination malpractices in the country.
The Ilaro Poly Rector maintained that every reasonable Nigerian should accept the inevitability of the CBT errors, which he said readily comes with its susceptibility and is also prone to occasional malfunctions.
Akinde, a Doctor of Philosophy, posited that tracking the Registrar’s performance records shows that the conduct of the UTM Examination has improved tremendously.
“For us in academics, we talk with statistics, and this year’s result is not a failure; it was a good result. Now, about technology, there is no wholly satisfactory technology in the whole world. You are talking about an automated centre; software can malfunction at any time without human intervention.
“You will recall that when Prof Oloyede came in as the Executive Registrar of JAMB, his intervention has been to redirect JAMB in ensuring that candidates are exposed to modern technology, not only that, the examination body which was at the verge of been scrapped due to its level of ridiculous irregularity has become something that is not common again.
“Moreover, the Registrar, Professor Oloyede, has taken full responsibility. For the first time, I can see in this country that we have a leader, even though the glitches were minor, he has taken responsibility, unlike leaders in Africa who were known for shifting blame.’’
