Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has called for the immediate abolition of several key Nigerian educational institutions, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

Sowore made this declaration on Wednesday through his official X handle, describing these institutions as "extracurricular bureaucratic busybodies" that serve no useful purpose.

"It's time to scrap these extracurricular bureaucratic busybodies, JAMB, NYSC, TETFund, NELFUND—they're all useless," Sowore stated in his post.

His comments follow JAMB's recent admission of significant technical flaws in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which has affected the performance of numerous candidates and sparked widespread outrage among students and parents nationwide.

JAMB Admits Technical Failures

JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, addressed the controversy during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, where he announced that approximately 379,997 candidates from Lagos and the five South-Eastern states would need to retake the examination due to technical issues.

"In simple terms, while 65 centres (206,610 candidates) were affected in the Lagos zone, which covers only Lagos State, 92 centres (173,387 candidates) in the Owerri zone, covering the South-East states—were also impacted," Oloyede explained.

According to the JAMB Registrar, the problems occurred when technical staff from the service provider failed to update some delivery servers in the affected zones. The rescheduled examinations are set to take place this weekend, with affected candidates to receive notification messages with further details.

In an emotional moment during the press conference, Oloyede offered a tearful apology and took full responsibility for the examination body's shortcomings.

"As Registrar of JAMB, I hold myself personally responsible, including for the negligence of the service provider, and I unreservedly apologise for it and the trauma that it has subjected affected Nigerians to, directly and indirectly," he said.

Growing Public Dissatisfaction

Sowore's criticism reflects growing public dissatisfaction with Nigeria's education and youth development agencies, which have faced persistent accusations of inefficiency, corruption, and failure to fulfill their core mandates.

The controversy comes at a time when Nigeria's educational system is under intense scrutiny, with stakeholders increasingly questioning the relevance and effectiveness of these institutions in addressing the country's educational challenges.

As the rescheduled examinations approach, many affected candidates and their families continue to express frustration over the additional stress and inconvenience caused by JAMB's technical failures, further fueling calls for comprehensive reforms in Nigeria's educational sector.