By Kenny Ola
It is safe to make known at the onset that this article is not written to recede the burden that comes with the recent 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). It is the thrust of this article to reveal the cunning and political attributes that are characteristic of many a Nigerian in the face of national adversity and also to preach the fact that Nigeria will become a placid abode if impassive and unjust approaches to national matters are dispensed with and adequate and immediate measures are encouraged for the betterment of both the government and the governed.
Prior to the technical error which resulted in the mass failure of numerous Nigerian students who participated in the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede is known to all as a man of sincerity and integrity. The pronouncement of Professor Oloyede as such is not born out of fanaticism but is birthed from his natural instinct to serve Nigeria. Professor Oloyede’s immaculate integrity and honesty were as bright as daylight and conspicuous even to the blind when he first served as the academic and administrative head of the University of Ilorin. This citadel of learning experienced a turnaround and transformative innovation as this could be seen in its startling rise as one of the best universities in Nigeria. Since the reward for excellence is to keep doing, this man of unwonted attributes set similar, spotless record when he emerged as the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
It is amazingly astonishing to witness all sorts of vicious attacks from many Nigerians when Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) glitches occurred. How on earth will one turn against a man who has served a nation with self-punishing selflessness due to the technical malfunction in JAMB’s servers which is not unprecedented in the world? Many a Nigerian saw this glitch as an unexpected opportunity to defame Professor Oloyede’s hard-earned reputation saying that such a glitch was orchestrated to impede the academic excellence that has long been prevailing in the eastern part of Nigeria without a careful thought that such malfunction in JAMB’s servers also affected some students who took their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Lagos. Some even went further clamouring for his resignation because of the glitch that can happen to anyone notwithstanding their caution.
It is as plain as a pikestaff that having noticed the unusual failure in 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Professor Oloyede, with the help of Alex Onyia, the CEO of Educare, approached such malfunction with immediate urgency. As a man who embodies truth and integrity, Professor Oloyede bore the responsibility and went publicly to tender a tearful apology. He didn’t stop there; he requested that all affected candidates should retake the exam which had recently been concluded. What do we still expect in a man who goes that lengths to ensure transparency and efficiency?
Nigerians must understand that the best way to encourage good leaders is by appreciating them and not by defaming their reputation. We won’t have a better Nigeria if we keep making good leaders regret their honest actions into making the country a safe haven. We publicly clamour for leaders who are transparent in their ruling but we silently tarnish the image of those leaders who exude transparency in the face of a slight error. We say humble leaders who effortlessly admit wrongdoing are the godsends but we brutally lash out at them when they humbly bear the responsibility of wrongdoing. We watch the futuristic leaders face continuous condemnation and castigation while we pretend that good leadership is all we care for. To even think that many of you who are fond of making good leaders regret their integrity and honesty have highly benefitted from those qualities is the most annoying part of this discourse. But one thing is certain. Even if history is cancelled as a subject in schools, posterity cannot be negotiated. We all shall be questioned in this life and in the hereafter what roles we play in the lives of others. And just like a prominent columnist and language pundit, Dr Ganiu Bamgbose, would say: “It is only in Nigeria that even someone who is struggling to control one wife and two children knows what Tinubu, Oloyede and Sanwo-Olu ought to do”. Unarguably, government is not only the cause of the downfall of a country, citizens’ contributions to the fall of a country are immense too.
The best way to conclude this piece is to mention that the progress of Nigeria is not only in the hands of the leaders, but also in the hands of the citizens. Therefore, patriotic citizens who want the best for their country must serve the country with honesty, integrity and sincerity since these features are not only meant to be exemplified by political leaders alone. Notably, Nigerians must understand that the act of making honest and truthful leaders go through hell is highly consequential to the growth of the country. Hence, good leaders deserve gold medals.
Kenny Ola writes from the Department of English Language, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
