The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that results for 379,000 candidates who participated in the recently rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be made public on Wednesday.
The retake was organized after widespread backlash followed the mass failure recorded during the initial UTME.
The examination body acknowledged that both technical and human errors — particularly in Lagos and across states in the South-East — played a significant role in distorting the performance of many candidates.
Out of approximately 1.9 million candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of a total of 400, sparking concerns and demands for accountability.
Following growing criticism, JAMB launched an internal review which uncovered systemic errors that impacted candidates’ scores.
Last week, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, publicly accepted responsibility for the mishap.
In an emotional address, he announced the board’s decision to organize a make-up exam for those affected.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Monday, JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, confirmed the pending release of the results.
“The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday,” he said.
Earlier, Professor Oloyede had explained that the 379,997 affected candidates were from Lagos and all five states in the South-East. Specifically, 206,610 students in 65 centers across Lagos and 173,387 in 92 centers in the South-East were impacted by the technical faults.
He described the situation as a case of deliberate sabotage and noted that affected candidates were being notified via text message about the rescheduled exam beginning last Thursday.
Statistics from JAMB show that among the 1,955,069 candidates whose original results were processed, only 4,756 (0.24%) scored 320 and above.
An additional 7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319, while 12,414 candidates (0.63%) earned scores of 300 and above.
Furthermore, 73,441 candidates (3.76%) fell between the 250–299 range; 334,560 (17.11%) scored between 200–249; and 983,187 (50.29%) achieved scores from 160–199 — a range often considered the minimum threshold for admission into many tertiary institutions.
In the lower brackets, 488,197 (24.97%) scored between 140–159; 57,419 (2.94%) had scores between 120–139; 3,820 (0.20%) fell between 100–119; while 2,031 (0.10%) scored below 100. Overall, more than 75% of candidates failed to score above 200.
Meanwhile, members of the South-East caucus in the House of Representatives have demanded the resignation of the JAMB Registrar, describing the incident as an unprecedented failure in the agency’s operations.
In a statement signed by Hon. Iduma Igariwey (PDP, Ebonyi) on Monday, the lawmakers criticized the board’s response and cited poor planning, inadequate communication, and a rushed rescheduling process that clashed with the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The caucus expressed outrage over the timing and manner in which the resit was organized, stating that affected students — most of whom are currently sitting for WAEC — were given under 48 hours’ notice, which led to confusion and low turnout.
They further called for the 2025 UTME to be cancelled and a new exam to be scheduled after the completion of both WAEC and NECO examinations.
The lawmakers also demanded disciplinary action against those overseeing JAMB’s digital infrastructure and logistics.
“While we appreciate Professor Oloyede’s willingness to take responsibility, we must emphasize that the remedial measures so far are grossly inadequate,” the statement read.
“Students in the South-East were left stranded, stressed, and in some cases, unable to attend the rescheduled UTME due to clashes with their ongoing WAEC papers.”
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