The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the results of 379,000 candidates who participated in the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Wednesday, May 22, 2025.
This decision comes after JAMB admitted to serious technical and human-related issues that marred the original examination, especially in Lagos and several South-East states. These problems led to widespread concern after more than 75 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of the total 400 marks.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Monday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the upcoming release of results. “The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday,” he stated.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, had earlier admitted fault on behalf of the board. According to him, a total of 379,997 candidates were affected by the glitches. These included 206,610 candidates across 65 centres in Lagos and 173,387 others from 92 centres located in the South-East.
Oloyede referred to the situation as a case of “sabotage” and disclosed that text messages notifying affected candidates about the resit were sent out starting Thursday, May 16.
JAMB data from the original UTME shows that only 0.24 percent (4,756 candidates) scored 320 and above, while another 0.39 percent (7,658 candidates) scored between 300 and 319. Overall, just 12,414 candidates scored 300 or more. Meanwhile, 334,560 candidates scored between 200 and 249, and over 1.47 million candidates scored below 200.
The poor outcome triggered reactions from across the country. On Monday, lawmakers from the South-East in the House of Representatives demanded the resignation of the JAMB Registrar. In a joint statement signed by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), the caucus described the UTME errors as a “catastrophic institutional failure.”
The lawmakers criticized the short notice for the rescheduled exam, poor communication, and the conflict in schedule with ongoing WAEC examinations. They noted that these problems placed an unnecessary burden on students and families in the affected areas.
The caucus called for the total cancellation of the 2025 UTME and the scheduling of a new examination after WAEC and NECO exams conclude. They also urged the suspension of JAMB officials responsible for managing digital systems and exam logistics.
“JAMB’s knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach has been anything but adequate,” their statement read. They added that many students in the South-East were given less than 48 hours to prepare for the rescheduled exam, which clashed with WAEC papers in some cases.
Citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the group said that the flawed exam had denied students the right to equal educational opportunity. “Sadly, for the thousands of students across the South-East, the flawed and tainted conduct of the 2025 UTME has effectively denied them that right,” the lawmakers stated.
