The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the results of 379,000 candidates who sat for the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) between Friday and Monday.
The decision follows a national outcry over widespread failure in the initial UTME, which affected over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates.
Recall that JAMB acknowledged that technical and human errors, particularly in Lagos and the South-East had distorted results for many candidates. In response, the board ordered a resit for nearly 380,000 students impacted by the glitches.
However, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had earlier taken public responsibility for the failure and broke down in tears while announcing the rescheduled exams. Affected candidates began receiving notifications last Thursday.
On Monday, JAMB spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin disclosed that the results from the rescheduled exam would be made public on Wednesday.
Data from the original UTME session revealed alarming statistics:
- Only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above.
- 12,414 candidates (0.63%) scored 300 and above.
- 73,441 (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299.
- 334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249.
- A staggering 75% of candidates scored below 200.
Meanwhile, this fallout has sparked intense backlash, particularly from the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives. In a statement signed by Hon. Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), the lawmakers called for the resignation of the JAMB Registrar, citing “catastrophic institutional failure.”
They criticized the short notice for the rescheduled UTME, which clashed with ongoing WAEC exams, causing “unnecessary trauma” for students. The caucus also demanded:
- Immediate cancellation of the 2025 UTME,
- A fresh exam after WAEC and NECO exams conclude,
- Suspension of key officials overseeing JAMB’s digital operations.
The lawmakers expressed concern that the flawed UTME process had denied students in the South-East their constitutional right to equal educational opportunities, citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
“JAMB’s fire-brigade approach falls drastically short,” the statement read. “The rescheduled exam was marred by poor communication and low turnout. Students were simply not given a fair chance.”
Despite JAMB’s efforts to rectify the situation, pressure is mounting for deeper reforms and greater accountability.
It doesn’t make sense for real
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