South-East Senators Query JAMB Over UTME Glitch

The South-East Senate Caucus has expressed worry over what it described as ‘curious and highly suspicious’ JAMB examination glitch in some centres in Lagos State and especially in the whole of South-East in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) circle.

In a statement issued to journalists on Saturday in Abuja, by its chairman, Senator Enyinnaya Abarib, representing Abia South, the Caucus said it would be disheartening and hoped not to contemplate such conspiracy theory, “that there is a narrow agenda being pursued to deliberately shortchange and harm the future of our children.”

Though the caucus after a careful assesment of the reports of the ugly incident, noted with cautious optimism the efforts being made to mitigate the near disaster, particularly the rescheduling of the examination, but, however, warned that a future reoccurrence will be unacceptable.

Nonetheless, South-East Senators, he added, welcomed the timely acceptance of fault as expressed through the open declaration of regrets and tearful apology by the Joint Admission and Martriculatiin Board (JAMB) management, particularly its Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede.

Notwithstanding, the South-East federal lawmakers, according to Senator Abaribe hoped and warned that such display of penitence in public would not be an effort to mask a future sinister agenda aimed at harming the educational advancement of children of the South-East region.

“The so-called glitch as curious and suspicious as it were is enough to erode confidence and dangerousely lower national pride among the future generation.

“The relevant national education drivers must recognise the inherent danger of injecting hateful politics and narrow parochial consideration in both policy enunciation and its implementations.

“That the glitch happened in the whole of South East raises partinent questions that must be answered by JAMB to assuage the growing frustrations and fears among the people of the region particularly the children who are directly at the receiving end. We must pursue a Nigerian agenda and not a narrow one that will ultimately injure national unity

“Education remains one of the most important bedrocks of any society’s advancement. It is one major indices of development in every facet of life that can never be faulted. Education is a major pivot that triggers national development. Every child is entitled to it, therefore we must not play roulette with it?” Abaribe declared.

Therefore, he said the South-East Senate Caucus was at alert and under pressure as it unequivocally demands firm assurance from JAMB and other relevant national educational policy drivers that there will never be a reoccurrence of such scandalous glitch in the future.