Abuja, Nigeria — Di Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) go hold meeting for Thursday to review di results of di 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) due to wetin dem call ‘unusual’ complaints from di public. Dis review meeting go bring together vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, school principals, examiners, and technical managers to address di rising dissatisfaction from candidates and stakeholders.
Dis development come after plenty protests from candidates and parents wey dey vex over di results wey dem release last Friday. Many candidates report say dem experience technical glitches and inconsistency during di exam test.
According to official notice wey dem see for JAMB, di review panel go includes members from several educational associations, including di All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools and di National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools. Dem go evaluate di examination conduct and di results.
“To show say we wan earn public trust, di management of JAMB don approve your participation as part of di review panel to investigate di conduct of di exam and to find solutions for any challenges wey we fit discover,” di notice talk. E also add say dis review no go cost di board any money.
Di UTME na critical exam for students wey wan enter tertiary institutions for Nigeria, testing candidates in four subjects including di compulsory Use of English. Out of di 1.9 million candidates wey take di UTME, over 1.5 million score below 200 from di maximum score of 400, raising concerns for di education sector.
JAMB report say from di results wey dem process, only 4,756 candidates (0.24 per cent) score 320 and above, while 7,658 (0.39 per cent) score between 300 and 319. In total, just 12,414 candidates (0.63 per cent) score 300 and above. Meanwhile, 983,187 candidates (50.29 per cent) score between 160 and 199, which na di minimum threshold for many institutions.
Some candidates don even threaten to sue JAMB for di discrepancies. JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, don respond to di complaints, say di board dey work to do dia annual post-examination review to identify di problems wey arise. E confirm di board dey pay attention to di complaints wey dey come from some states for di federation.
JAMB explain say during di exam, them make sure say every candidate get chance to sit for di test and any technical problem wey occur, dem go reschedule di exam for di affected candidates. Di JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, confirm say di performance wey dem see for dis year no different from wetin don happen in di past 12 years.
“Di performance statistics no be peculiar to dis year. Na di same trend wey we don observe for di last 12 years,” he talk. E remind say in 2024, 76 per cent of candidates score below 200 points while in 2022, 78 per cent of candidates wey sit di exam score below 200.
Di Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, also react to di results, talk say di high failure rate for di 2025 UTME show say di government’s measures against malpractice dey work well. JAMB don assure say any candidate wey face technical issues for di exam go get chance to write di test again.
Nevertheless, many candidates and parents dey call for JAMB to release di methods wey dem take score di candidates. Some candidates don reject dia results, insisting say e no reflect wetin dem perform. One candidate, wey go by di name @Pennyfabz, wey score 156, express concern say she don score 285 before. “Dear @JAMBHQ, Something dey wrong with my result. I dey sure say dis no be wetin I suppose get,” she post for X.
Despite di protests, history don show as Afolabi Ayodeji, a 15-year-old student from Icons Comprehensive College in Ijapo Estate, score 370 out of 400, breaking records in di 2025 UTME. His scores include Mathematics — 98, Physics — 98, Chemistry — 94 and Use of English — 80. “I no plan to break any record; I just wanted to give my best,” Ayodeji talk after di result.
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