The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the rescheduled UTME results for 379,000 affected candidates on Wednesday, following widespread criticism over the handling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The examination body had come under fire after more than 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 marks in the original UTME, sparking a national outcry. JAMB later admitted that technical and human errors, especially in Lagos and the South-East, distorted candidates’ scores.
In response to public pressure, JAMB investigated the results and scheduled a resit for 379,997 candidates, citing confirmed irregularities across several centres. The candidates included 206,610 from Lagos and 173,387 from South-East states, who were informed via SMS of the rescheduled exam last Thursday.
During a press briefing last week, JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede publicly accepted responsibility for the failures, emotionally acknowledging the trauma caused to students. The board traced the errors to glitches in its digital testing infrastructure, and Oloyede described the incidents as “sabotage.”
JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin confirmed to The PUNCH that the results from the rescheduled UTME, conducted between Friday and Monday, will be released this Wednesday.
“The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday,” he said.
From the original batch of 1,955,069 UTME results processed:
- Only 0.63% scored 300 and above
- 17.11% scored between 200 and 249
- Over 75% scored below 200, raising questions about the system’s integrity
These figures have fueled debates on the fairness and credibility of the exam system.
In a statement on Monday, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives demanded the immediate resignation of the JAMB Registrar, describing the situation as a “catastrophic institutional failure.”
Signed by Hon. Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), the lawmakers decried the short notice given for the rescheduled exams, which they said clashed with ongoing WAEC exams, causing “unnecessary trauma” for students and their families.
“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned that all five South-East states were directly impacted by these so-called ‘score distortions’,” the statement read.
The lawmakers argued that Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees equal and adequate educational opportunities—a right they say has been violated by JAMB’s conduct.
They called for:
- Immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME
- A fresh UTME scheduled after WAEC and NECO exams
- Suspension of digital operations staff responsible for the glitches
“JAMB’s fire-brigade approach has failed to meet the expectations of our constituents. Many students received less than 48 hours’ notice, and turnout for the rescheduled exam was abysmally low,” the caucus noted.
They also pointed to reports of exam clashes that caused students to miss either WAEC or UTME papers, exacerbating stress and confusion.
While acknowledging Oloyede’s openness, the lawmakers insisted that apologies and rescheduled exams are insufficient. They demand systemic reforms and full accountability from JAMB leadership.
The developments have placed Nigeria’s exam system under renewed scrutiny, with critics calling for a total overhaul of the digital infrastructure and better coordination with other national examination bodies.
As the country awaits the release of the rescheduled results on Wednesday, the spotlight remains firmly on JAMB’s ability to restore public confidence, protect students’ rights, and ensure fairness in the higher education admission process.
Stay tuned to 9am News Nigeria for more Breaking News, Business News, Sports updates And Entertainment Gists.
