The Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA) has emphasised the need for the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) to initiate measures that will address the complaints and concerns of the candidates who sat for the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and were affected by the board’s errors.

On Wednesday, the registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, took responsibility for the negligence of the board which resulted in many candidates protesting low scores.

In a statement, by the NOA’a deputy director for media and communication, Paul Odenyi, he noted that Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu lauded Oloyede for demonstrating integrity and courage.

“He noted that this act of forthrightness is not only a testament to Professor Oloyede’s personal values but also aligns with the principles of the National Values Charter (NVC), which enjoins all public institutions to operate with the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” the statement read in part.

He however noted that accepting responsibility is not the final step to addressing these issues.

“While recognition of mistakes is the first step, redemption and restitution are other necessary steps to be taken. Having decided to provide another opportunity to the candidates as a way of redeeming the errors, it is imperative that JAMB considers appropriate compensation to mitigate the stress and anxiety these candidates may have suffered,” said Onilu.