JAMB Conducts Final Audit of 379,775 UTME Resit Results Ahead of Public Release
A final audit of results from the 379,775 candidates who sat for the rescheduled 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is currently underway ahead of their official release on Thursday.
The audit team comprises officials from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), civil society organisations, academics, and independent observers.
A source, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak, disclosed the update after a press briefing announcing the conclusion of the resit.
Earlier in the week, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, had announced that the results would be released on Wednesday. However, findings on Wednesday revealed that the results were undergoing a thorough audit, which delayed their release.
In a related development, JAMB has announced another round of mop-up examinations to accommodate over 5.6 per cent of candidates who missed the just-concluded UTME.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated that the new mop-up is intended for all affected candidates, regardless of why they missed the exam.
“This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity,” he said. “It’s not extraordinary. In any serious system, when students miss an exam, they’re allowed to make up—provided there’s no abuse.”
Prof. Oloyede also clarified the purpose of the UTME, describing it as a placement test, not an intelligence measure.
“Its purpose is to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to test how smart someone is,” he said.
Addressing growing criticism and speculation surrounding the examination process, the registrar firmly dismissed claims of ethnic bias or administrative incompetence.
“I take responsibility, not because I failed, but because that’s leadership,” he stated. “I didn’t even realise people viewed issues around me through ethnic lenses. We must rise above such profiling.”
He commended both candidates and staff for their resilience amid logistical challenges.
“We had limited space. We knew if we wasted more time grieving the challenges, students would lose their opportunity,” he added.
JAMB has assured that the special mop-up exam will be scheduled soon, and reiterated its commitment to transparency and fairness in admissions.
South-West Lawmakers Defend JAMB Registrar Amid Calls for Resignation
Meanwhile, lawmakers from the South-West have pushed back against calls for the resignation of Prof. Oloyede made by the South-East caucus of the House of Representatives.
The 2025 UTME was marred by a significant technical failure, preventing approximately 379,000 candidates from completing the exam—putting many students’ academic aspirations at risk. Prof. Oloyede publicly accepted responsibility and offered a heartfelt apology to candidates and parents, promising corrective actions.
Despite this, the South-East caucus, led by Hon. Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), issued a statement demanding Oloyede’s resignation, describing the situation as a “catastrophic institutional failure.” The group argued that many of the affected candidates were from the South-East and criticised JAMB’s response as inadequate, citing poor communication, conflicts with WAEC schedules, and limited resit notice.
“As a caucus, we are deeply concerned as all five South-Eastern states we represent were directly affected by these ‘score distortions,’” the statement read. The caucus also demanded the suspension of JAMB officials responsible for digital operations and logistics.
However, lawmakers from the South-West have dismissed the resignation demand as excessive. Hon. Oluwole Oke, representing Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, said:
“The call for resignation is very mischievous. Prof. Oloyede is one of Nigeria’s most transparent and upright public servants. As chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee, I investigated JAMB operations and can attest that he is beyond reproach.”
He added, “Yes, something went wrong under his leadership, but he admitted the mistake and apologized publicly. What else do we want from him?”
His view was supported by Hon. Wale Raji from Lagos, who noted that many students in Lagos were also affected.
“The Registrar of JAMB did the uncommon in Nigerian public service—he admitted the error, apologised sincerely, and arranged a resit. That’s leadership. The call by the South-East is uncalled for and condemnable,” Raji said.
Attempts to reach the Chairman of the South-West Caucus, James Faleke, were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.
