The National Association of University Students (NAUS) has described the technical breakdowns and administrative lapses during the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as a reflection of deep-rooted failures within Nigeria’s education system.

In a statement issued by NAUS Deputy Speaker Tosin Joshua, the association said that the UTME experience — which left over 300,000 candidates stranded — underscored broader dysfunction across the sector.

“We stand today not only as student leaders but as citizens witnessing the systematic annihilation of our collective future,” Joshua said. “The recent JAMB UTME scandal, which left over 300,000 candidates stranded in a quagmire of technical failures and administrative ineptitude, is a disgrace that mirrors the broader decay of Nigeria’s education sector.”

Joshua also criticized the 2023 education budget allocation of 8.8%, arguing that the figure, although slightly increased, remains inadequate to address widespread infrastructural and staffing deficiencies.

“Students continue to suffer in overcrowded lecture halls, with unpaid lecturers and examination centers resembling humanitarian crisis zones,” he said.

The association decried the rising cost of tertiary education, warning that poor families are increasingly priced out of access to even substandard academic institutions.

NAUS called on the Federal Government and National Assembly to investigate the UTME failures and sanction officials found responsible for the lapses.

The group also called for a national memorial in honor of students who suffered consequences due to the disruptions, including Opesusi Faith Timilehin.

“Your legacy is etched in the ruins of our universities and the graves of students like Timilehin,” the statement added. “We reject your hollow promises. The time for half-measures is over.”

NAUS urged immediate and systemic reforms to avoid further erosion of the education sector’s credibility.