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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the results for 379,000 candidates who participated in the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, which took place from Friday to Monday, on Wednesday.
This rescheduling was a response to a significant public outcry regarding mass failures during the initial UTME. The board acknowledged that both technical and human errors, particularly in Lagos and the South-East regions, had a noticeable impact on candidates' performance.
Out of approximately 1.9 million candidates who took this year's UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks, raising considerable alarm among stakeholders.
In a statement released on Monday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirmed that the results of the rescheduled exams would be made public on Wednesday.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, previously indicated that 379,997 candidates in Lagos and five South-Eastern states were affected by the UTME issues. Specifically, 206,610 candidates from 65 centers in Lagos and 173,387 from 92 centers in the South-East were impacted.
Describing the situation as “sabotage,” Oloyede mentioned that affected candidates started receiving text notifications for the rescheduled exam from last Thursday.
Of the 1,955,069 results processed from the original UTME, only 4,756 candidates (0.24 percent) achieved scores of 320 or higher. Additionally, 7,658 candidates (0.39 percent) scored between 300 and 319, making the total number of top-tier scorers (300 and above) 12,414 (0.63 percent). Meanwhile, 73,441 candidates (3.76 percent) scored between 250 and 299, and 334,560 (17.11 percent) scored between 200 and 249.
A significant total of 983,187 candidates (50.29 percent) scored between 160 and 199, widely regarded as the minimum score for admission in many institutions, while 488,197 (24.97 percent) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 (2.94 percent) between 120 and 139, 3,820 (0.20 percent) between 100 and 119, and 2,031 (0.10 percent) scored below 100.
In relation to the UTME glitches, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives has demanded the immediate resignation of JAMB Registrar, declaring the situation a “catastrophic institutional failure” during the conduct of the 2025 UTME.
The South-East lawmakers criticized the inadequate communication regarding the rescheduled UTME, the minimal notice provided, and the conflicts with ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations, leading to “unnecessary trauma” for students and their families.
They stated, “Last week, particularly on May 14, 2025, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede publicly admitted that due to a ‘technical glitch’ at certain examination centers during the 2025 UTME, approximately 379,997 out of 1.9 million candidates would need to retake the exam.” They expressed deep concern as all five South-Eastern states were affected by these alleged “score distortions.”
The lawmakers urged the cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the arrangement of a fresh examination, ideally after the WAEC and NECO exams conclude, to prevent any disadvantage to students. They also called for the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB’s digital operations and logistics, stressing that accountability should exceed mere public apologies.
While acknowledging Prof. Oloyede’s admission of JAMB’s shortcomings, they stated that the remedial measures taken thus far fall significantly short of what their constituents expect. "Students in the South-East many currently taking their WAEC exams were given less than 48 hours’ notice to take the rescheduled UTME. Reports suggest this notice was gravely insufficient, leading to poor turnout, and in some instances, the rescheduled UTME directly conflicted with ongoing WAEC papers, exacerbating the distress for students and their families."
Citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates the government to provide equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels, the caucus argued that recent judicial decisions have rendered this provision an enforceable right for every Nigerian child.
“Unfortunately, for the many students across the South-East, the flawed and problematic execution of the 2025 UTME has essentially denied them their right to equal and adequate educational opportunities,” the lawmakers concluded.
