Resit Sparks Outrage Across the Southeast
Tensions are running high in Nigeria’s Southeast as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council takes a firm stand against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The spark? A fresh round of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) rescheduled for several candidates in the region after a wave of technical issues marred the original test dates. It’s not just about lost time or frustration. The Ohanaeze youth claim this move is a double blow for students who already faced enough hurdles the first time around.
National President Mazi Okwu Nnabuike didn’t mince words. He called JAMB’s order for a resit “totally unacceptable,” describing the repeated exam process as a “new round of mental torture.” For many Southeast families, the implications run much deeper than missed answers or delayed results. Having to organize another exam means pulling together extra cash for transport and preparations—a real stretch for households that are already feeling the pinch financially.
But there’s more to it. Okwu raised a point that’s hard to ignore: safety. Given all that’s going on in the region security-wise, he says it’s simply not fair to ask families to send their teenagers out on the road again for a retest. Many parents are worried about exposing their kids to risks, and who can blame them?
There’s also the psychological toll. Students who geared up for months, sat through the tension of the glitch-ridden exams, coped with UTME “fake results,” and navigated tech malfunctions now have to muster the willpower to do it all over again. It’s the kind of setback that can flatten even the most determined students. Ohanaeze describes this as “mental torture” and claims it sends the wrong signal about how the system values these young people from the Southeast.
Mix of Frustration and Determination
Not everybody walked away from the resit devastated. Some students reported that the new round of exams, to their surprise, featured more straightforward questions and fewer glitches. Still, relief about technical improvements doesn’t erase the emotional strain or doubts about why the resit was necessary in the first place. Who wants to relive a stressful exam week after feeling tossed aside by technology?
Ohanaeze Ndigbo isn’t backing down. They’re doing more than just speaking out—they’ve threatened to take legal action if JAMB doesn’t reverse its decision. The group isn’t asking for just a fair shake; they’re demanding compensation in the form of automatic 300 scores for every affected Southeast candidate. To them, the resit isn’t just a bump in the road—it’s a “systemic injustice.”
Behind the tough talk is a sense that students from the region are facing an uneven playing field. JAMB admitting to technical glitches hasn’t exactly put parents and students at ease. Some feel singled out, wondering if their region’s candidates would get treated the same way elsewhere in the country. The possibility of a court battle adds a new twist to an already heated debate.
For many young people in the Southeast, the UTME is more than just an exam. It’s a shot at university, a chance to break cycles of hardship, or even a family’s big hope for a brighter future. That’s why arguments over resit policies and calls for automatic scores strike such a sharp chord. This isn’t just about paperwork—it’s about the dreams and practical realities facing an entire region’s future students.
