The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has confirmed it will release the results of 379,000 candidates who participated in the rescheduled Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
These candidates sat for the exam between Friday and Monday following a resit prompted by widespread concerns over mass failure in the initial UTME.
JAMB rescheduled the exam after acknowledging technical and human errors, particularly in Lagos and the South-East, which severely impacted candidates’ performances. Out of the 1.9 million candidates who originally sat the UTME, more than 1.5 million scored below 200 marks out of 400, raising alarm among educational stakeholders nationwide.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly accepted responsibility for the errors last week, describing the situation as “sabotage” and expressing deep regret, even shedding tears during the announcement of the resit. According to Oloyede, 379,997 candidates across Lagos and the South-East were affected, with 206,610 candidates in 65 Lagos centres and 173,387 candidates in 92 South-East centres impacted.
Speaking to Journalists, JAMB’s spokesperson Dr. Fabian Benjamin reiterated, “The results of the candidates who took the rescheduled exam will be released on Wednesday.”
Data from the original UTME results showed that only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above, while 7,658 (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319. The majority of candidates scored below 200, with 50.29% scoring between 160 and 199, a threshold often considered minimum for admission in many institutions.
The South-East Caucus in the House of Representatives has condemned the handling of the UTME, calling for the immediate resignation of Prof. Oloyede and cancellation of the 2025 UTME. They criticized the short notice for the rescheduled exam and its clash with ongoing WAEC exams, describing the situation as a “catastrophic institutional failure” causing trauma for students and families.
The caucus demanded a fresh exam be conducted after the conclusion of WAEC and NECO exams and called for the suspension of officials responsible for the digital and logistical failures. They emphasized that “JAMB’s knee-jerk, fire-brigade approach has been anything but adequate,” underscoring the need for accountability beyond public apologies.
