Rita Odafe
Femi Opesusi, the father of 19-year-old Timilehin Opesusi, who tragically ended her life following a controversial score in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), is urging the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to disclose what he considers to be his daughter’s “accurate” score.
In a heart-wrenching interview with Channels Television, Opesusi claimed that the score given to his daughter did not accurately represent her capabilities and accused JAMB of altering her result posthumously.
Timilehin, who lived with her older sister in Ikorodu, Lagos, was among more than 300,000 candidates impacted by a “technical issue” that affected UTME examinations at various centers nationwide.
After achieving a score of 190 the previous year, she was devastated to receive a score of 146 for 2025. Her father recounted that she frequently expressed her disbelief, stating, “Daddy, this cannot be my result.”
Attempts by her father to comfort her and assure her that they would resolve the matter sadly proved futile. Shortly after learning her score, Timilehin consumed a sachet of rat poison and was taken to the hospital by her sister, but unfortunately, she could not be saved.
This heartbreaking incident has triggered widespread sorrow and outrage, leading to heightened scrutiny of JAMB’s examination practices. Initially, the Board insisted that all announced results were accurate.
However, on May 14, faced with intensified public backlash, JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede acknowledged during a press conference that a technical issue had impacted 379,997 candidates across 157 centers, mainly in Lagos and the South-East. Oloyede expressed remorse over the error, stating emotionally, “We are human; we are not infallible.”
In reaction to the situation, JAMB initiated a supplementary examination on May 16 for those affected. During a recent assembly, the Board held a moment of silence to honor Timilehin. Nevertheless, her father revealed that they have yet to receive any direct communication from JAMB or officials since her passing.
“They have not contacted me, they have not interviewed me, they have not communicated anything,” Opesusi remarked. He emphasized that he is not seeking an apology or compensation but merely wishes to obtain his daughter’s actual score. “I am not interested in meeting them. What I want is the true result of my daughter, and that is all.”
According to JAMB data, among the 1.95 million candidates who took the 2025 UTME, over 78% scored below 200, while only 12,414 managed to achieve 300 or above. This controversy has sparked criticism from politicians and advocacy groups. The South-East Caucus of the 10th House of Representatives has called for the resignation of Prof. Oloyede, labeling the examination results as a “national disgrace.”
