Outrage As JAMB Admits Errors In 2025 UTME, Reschedules Exams
…379,997 Candidates From S/East, Lagos To Retake Exams
…Registrar Weeps, Apologises To Nigerians
There has been widespread outrage after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) admitted errors in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which affected thousands candidates.
JAMB had commenced a review of the candidates’ results after widespread complaints of low scores by candidates with a track record of good performance.
The results released by JAMB had shown that out of 1.9 million candidates who sat for UTME, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 over 400 total marks. This raised concerns across the education sector.
According to JAMB, a total of 1,955,069 results were processed, out of which only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above while 7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319, bringing the total for those who scored 300 and above to 12,414 candidates (0.63%).
Also, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249. A total of 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199, which is widely regarded as the minimum threshold for admissions in many institutions.
Additionally, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20%) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.
Over 75 percent of all candidates (1.5 million) scored below 200 over 400.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, took responsibility for the errors while apologising to the candidates.
In a speech read by the Registrar, which was also posted on X platform titled “Man Proposes, God Disposes,” Oloyede chronicled what led to the error in the examination.
“Today marks a moment we shall not soon forget—a day that should have been filled with celebration for what was, until recently, regarded as our most successful UTME exercise. Regrettably, this joy has been overshadowed by an easily avoidable error by one or two persons,” he stated.
Explaining how JAMB operates, Oloyede stated that the Board uses two operational “vehicles” to traverse Nigeria under the code names KAD and LAG.
“The KAD vehicle contains the Northern states, excluding Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi, and FCT, but it includes the six South-South states. The LAG vehicle, on the other hand, consists of Southern states, excluding the 6 South-South states, but it includes Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi, and FCT,” he explained.
He noted that after the mock examinations this year, the JAMB had reviewed the LAG (which includes South West and South East states, as earlier indicated) and KAD examination engines.
“We realised that in the LAG category, options to the items of our examinations were not shuffled. We insisted that the shuffling must be effected. After this was done, we tested the update as usual and were satisfied,” he said.
Oloyede stated that on the second day of the UTME examination, however, which was Friday, April 25, 2025, the Board discovered that there was some omission in the items within the LAG category.
“An update for correction and grading adjustment was instantly made and tested on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The update was applied after 12 a.m. on Tuesday morning and was successful,” he said.
To correct and re-upload the responses from LAG for the pre-Tuesday glitch, the service providers concerned with LAG were deployed to effect the patch, but there were patch errors in some centers (servers) for the first three or four days in only two locations.
Oloyede explained that while 65 centers (206,610 candidates) were affected in the Lagos zone (comprising only Lagos state), 92 centers (173,387 candidates) were affected in the Owerri zone, which includes the South East states.
In the process of rectifying the issue, the technical personnel deployed by the Service Provider for LAG (Lagos and South-East zones) inadvertently failed to update some of the delivery servers.
This oversight, according to the JAMB Registrar, regrettably went undetected prior to the release of the results.
Oloyede also mentioned that JAMB overhauled its reporting system last year, which revealed statistics that sparked public backlash.
He noted that the best score in 2025 (374) was the highest in the last one and a half decades.
Oloyede stated that following the outcry of Nigerians about the results, the Board, together with other stakeholders, worked rigorously and within 24 hours was able to isolate where the problem emanated from.
“It happened in 65 centers in Lagos and 92 centers in Owerri zone. In these centers, the patch was not properly applied in some center servers by the service provider, and that failure disrupted the upload of the candidates’ responses within the first three or four days, as applicable to Lagos and Owerri zones.
“The 2025 UTME that could have been our finest yet, were it not for the carelessness, negligence, and lack of concern exhibited by the agents entrusted with this crucial yet straightforward function,” he lamented.
Oloyede therefore announced the rescheduling of another examination for 379,997 candidates who were affected by the error, which were mostly in Lagos and the five states of the South East.
“We have decided that all the candidates affected in the 157 centers out of 882 centers will be contacted to retake their examinations starting from Friday, May 16, 2025,” he said.
Oloyede added that the affected candidates would start getting text messages from the Board starting Thursday.
“These candidates are to be contacted through text messages addressed to their registered phone numbers, their email addresses, their profiles, and phone calls by JAMB. They are directed to reprint their Examination Slips for the rescheduled examination dates,” he said.
He added that, “While not oblivious of the fact that WAEC examinations are ongoing, we have contacted WAEC, and in an unprecedented show of solidarity, the Council has graciously decided to accommodate us within the WAEC time-slot as much as possible.
“Any candidate with a clash of timetable, particularly for Agricultural Science on Friday, would be rescheduled. However, we have endeavored to ensure that no such exist. Most, if not all, such candidates are scheduled for Saturday.”
However, even with JAMB’s explanation of the reason for the error, there has been widespread outrage, with many calling for Oloyede’s resignation.
The strong reactions came after a 19-year-old girl, Opesusi Faith Timilehin, allegedly took her own life after scoring 190 in the exam.
Many Nigerians expressed shock and disappointment over JAMB’s handling of the exam, with some demanding accountability and others questioning the board’s competence.
An X user, S.A.LA.K.O, criticized the Board’s response, saying, ” An institutional disaster where heads are supposed to roll, offices sacked and resignations tendered – as usual have silhouetted behind “God” Overtly religious societies are normally irresponsible societies. A girl committed suicide because of your ineptitude.WHOSE HEAD IS ROLLING?”
Daniel Oladoja questioned the Board’s reference to God, stating, ” God get patience sha, because if na me be God lasan, ma ti fun e ni blow loju. How dare you put this on God?”
Another X user, Olumide Adesina, condemned the board’s insensitivity, saying, “The economic damage is huge, this tweet is quite insensitive, it fails to address the candidates’ pain.”
Major Godspower called out JAMB’s incompetence, stating, ” This is the height of irresponsibility. And you turn around to make quotations from God knows where. You had just 1 job and all year to prepare for it, yet you couldn’t deliver.
“Your first point of call is to apologise and e plain how you’re going to fix the problem. When you think it can’t be worse then they surprise you with more incompetence.”
Some social media users also mourned the alleged death of 19-year-old Faith, with one MrFrancis posting, “Bring her back to life” and Omo Akins asking, “So what happens now?”
Outrage As JAMB Admits Errors In 2025 UTME, Reschedules Exams is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
