The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies has revealed that the controversial 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results crisis was caused by human error rather than technical glitches as previously claimed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Committee Chairman Oboku Oforji made this disclosure during a press conference on Tuesday, stating that preliminary findings indicated the error, which affected over 379,000 candidates, was not due to technical failure as initially reported by JAMB.

"We sincerely apologise on behalf of the examination body, JAMB, to all Nigerians. The committee recognises the courage and sincerity of the JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for accepting the fault on behalf of his team and apologising to the parents, candidates, and the nation in general," Oforji said.

The 2025 UTME results, released on May 9, showed that more than 78 percent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the possible 400 maximum points. This unprecedented mass failure triggered nationwide protests questioning the integrity of the examination process.

Following an internal review, JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede acknowledged last Wednesday during a press conference in Abuja that a major error had affected the results of 379,997 candidates. JAMB has since announced plans to release resit results for the affected candidates on Wednesday.

The revelation comes amid growing concerns about the examination body's processes, with the South East Representatives caucus reportedly demanding Oloyede's resignation over the incident.

There are also indications that Nigerian universities might consider accepting lower JAMB scores for the 2025 admission cycle, with some institutions potentially accepting scores as low as 140, 150, or 160 in response to the crisis.

The House Committee has pledged to continue its investigation into the matter to prevent similar occurrences in future examinations that affect the educational prospects of Nigerian students.