The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it will release the results of approximately 379,000 candidates who participated in the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
JAMB spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, confirmed this development to The PUNCH on Monday, stating, "The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday."
The rescheduled examination, which took place between Friday and Monday, was organized following widespread concerns over mass failures in the initial UTME. JAMB had admitted to technical and human errors that significantly affected candidates' performance, particularly in Lagos and the five South-Eastern states.
According to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, 206,610 candidates in 65 centres across Lagos and 173,387 candidates in 92 centres in the South-East zone were affected by the glitches. Oloyede described the situation as "sabotage" and publicly accepted responsibility for the errors last week, even shedding tears during the announcement of the resit.
Mass Failure Raises Concerns
The initial examination results had sparked national debate when it was revealed that over 75 percent of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the UTME scored below 200 marks out of a possible 400. Only 12,414 candidates (0.63 percent) scored 300 and above, while 983,187 candidates (50.29 percent) scored between 160 and 199 marks, which is widely considered the minimum threshold for admission in many institutions.
The detailed breakdown showed that only 4,756 candidates (0.24 percent) scored 320 and above, while 7,658 candidates (0.39 percent) scored between 300 and 319. Additionally, 73,441 candidates (3.76 percent) scored between 250 and 299, and 334,560 (17.11 percent) scored between 200 and 249.
South-East Lawmakers Demand Registrar's Resignation
Meanwhile, the South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the immediate resignation of the JAMB Registrar over what they described as a "catastrophic institutional failure" in the conduct of the 2025 UTME.
In a statement signed by Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi), the caucus criticized the poor communication, short notice given for the rescheduled examination, and scheduling conflicts with ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASCE).
"While we acknowledge Prof. Oloyede's openness in admitting JAMB's failures, we must state unequivocally that the remedial steps taken so far fall drastically short of our constituents' expectations," the statement read.
The lawmakers have demanded the immediate cancellation of the entire 2025 UTME and the scheduling of a fresh examination, preferably after the conclusion of the ongoing WAEC and NECO exams. They also called for the suspension of key officials responsible for JAMB's digital operations and logistics.
Citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates government to ensure equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels, the caucus argued that the flawed conduct of the 2025 UTME had effectively denied thousands of students across the South-East their right to equal educational opportunities.
As candidates await their results, the controversy surrounding this year's UTME continues to generate significant attention from stakeholders in Nigeria's education sector.
