JAMB admits grave error in 2025 UTME, orders resit for nearly 400,000 candidates amid public outrage

On Wednesday, May 14, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) made a rare and sobering admission: it was responsible for the mass failure that marred the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

At an emotionally charged press conference in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, tendered an unreserved public apology, acknowledging a technical failure that impacted results for hundreds of thousands of candidates, particularly in the South East and Lagos.

“I understand that there are three powerful expressions which contain one word, two words and three words respectively. They are please, thank you and I am sorry,” Oloyede said solemnly. “So, I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment. Please, I apologise and take full responsibility not just in words.”

As part of corrective measures, Oloyede announced that 379,997 affected candidates across six states—Lagos, Imo, Anambra, Oyo, Abia, and Ebonyi—will retake the UTME from Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 18.

According to JAMB’s internal review, 157 centres—65 in Lagos and 92 in the Owerri zone (covering the five South East states)—were compromised by technical glitches caused by a service provider’s failure to properly upload examination data.

Holding back tears, Oloyede expressed deep regret for the trauma inflicted on students and their families, and acknowledged that the incident had damaged the board’s reputation.

“Without equivocation, there has been a lot of hoopla since the results of 2025 UTME were released last Friday, May 9,” he said. “Our investigation reveals that there are grounds for the complaints about our 2025 UTME results.”

He added, “As the Registrar of JAMB, I hold myself personally responsible, including for the negligence of the service provider, and I unreservedly apologise for it and the trauma that it has subjected affected Nigerians to.”

JAMB confirmed that the affected candidates would be contacted to reprint their examination slips for the rescheduled exams, emphasizing that this was not a system-wide failure, but a localized technical error.

“It is just one of the two service providers that did not do well by uploading improperly, but it was not a case of glitches nor sabotage,” Oloyede clarified.

ASUU threatens legal action

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), particularly the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) Branch, reacted strongly to JAMB’s admission, threatening to take legal action if the examination body fails to review and correct the 2025 UTME results.

ASUU-UNN Chair, Comrade Oyibo Eze, accused JAMB of deliberately targeting candidates from the South East.

“My office has been inundated with protests, calls, and visits by parents and the general public on this deliberate massive failure,” he said. “ASUU will challenge this result in court if JAMB fails to review the result and give candidates their merited scores.”

Eze also raised concerns over longstanding regional disparities in admission cut-off scores, arguing that children from the South East are often held to higher standards than their counterparts from other regions.

He cited an example from University Secondary School, Nsukka, where reportedly no student scored above 200, despite the school’s academic reputation.

“Even if JAMB discovered one or two candidates for exam malpractice, is that enough reason to fail all others who have prepared very hard for that exam?” he asked.

Eze called on South East governors to intervene, warning that the issue could escalate into a national crisis if ignored.

NAPTAN praises JAMB’s accountability

In contrast, the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) took a more conciliatory tone, praising JAMB for owning up to the mistake.

Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, NAPTAN’s National President, said the association had dispatched officers to JAMB headquarters in Bwari to verify the scope of the issue and confirmed that the number of affected candidates was based on a painstaking internal audit.

“Let us first commend JAMB that they admitted some errors on their part,” Danjuma said. “We have been inundated with complaints from parents and candidates regarding the results… but we are satisfied with JAMB’s willingness to take responsibility.”

A pivotal moment for JAMB

Oloyede concluded by promising that the board will emerge stronger and more transparent from this crisis, reinforcing its commitment to fairness and equity.

“It is our culture to admit error because we know that in spite of the best of our efforts, we are human. We are not perfect,” he said. “Today marks a moment we shall not soon forget.”

As pressure mounts and stakeholders demand accountability, the 2025 UTME crisis is already reshaping public perception of one of Nigeria’s most critical academic institutions—and may have lasting implications for how standardized testing is conducted in the future.