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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the results of its resit exam for candidates impacted by a technical error during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
A statement made public on Sunday morning by Public Communication Advisor Fabian Benjamin revealed that out of 336,845 candidates who were rescheduled, 21,082 were absent. While no reason was given for the significant number of absentees, JAMB declared a mop-up examination for those who missed the original UTME, including individuals whose absence lacked a clear explanation.
The board expressed concerns over rampant exam malpractice involving candidates, school proprietors, and CBT centers.
A meeting of Chief External Examiners led by Prof. Olufemi Peters validated the resit results following a psychometric analysis conducted by Prof. Boniface Nworgu. JAMB also approved the release of results for under-aged candidates, although these results do not qualify them for admission unless legal action is pursued.
The statement noted, "As part of the healing process, the meeting resolved that the withheld results of underage candidates (unless litigation is involved) who performed below the set standards should be released."
It continued, "Such results do not qualify them for admission, as they had previously signed an agreement during registration acknowledging that only those meeting the required standards would be eligible for under-age special admission."
Additionally, JAMB granted a one-time waiver for candidates found guilty of online malpractice. The board remarked on the release of results for candidates involved with 'WhatsApp Runs' and other misdemeanors, emphasizing that this decision is not an endorsement of their unacceptable actions but rather a singular waiver. Candidates were warned against joining dubious 'WhatsApp' and other anti-social groups.
The board stated that CBT centers implicated in malpractice would face blacklisting and prosecution of their owners. Those engaged in biometric or identity fraud will also be subject to legal action. "The meeting condemned the role of some CBT centers in executing serious registration and examination malpractices and resolved to blacklist all implicated centers, while prosecuting complicit owners," it said.
Moreover, the Board criticized unregulated tutorial centers facilitating malpractice and advocated for government regulation.
It reaffirmed its commitment to CBT and plans to engage consultants to improve the registration process.
Moreover, any attempts to politicize technical issues along tribal lines were denounced, with an emphasis on unity and caution against divisive narratives.
The meeting expressed regret over efforts by certain groups to utilize the unfortunate incident to propagate tribal and sectional stories, clarifying that the incident was not aimed at any region or caused by a specific group.
The meeting praised the Registrar and JAMB management for handling the unfortunate incident competently and genuinely, urging them to continue their steadfast and courageous approach.
JAMB also refuted rumors of high scores in canceled sessions, stating that 99% of candidates scored below 200, with only a minor number achieving scores of 217 or above.
The Board condemned attempts to exploit the situation, citing Olisa Gabriel Chukwuemeka, who falsely claimed to have scored 326 in the 2025 UTME. JAMB confirmed that he altered his previous result of 203 to show a score of 326 for 2025, ultimately scoring 180 before his result was withdrawn, leading him to deactivate his social media account due to public backlash.
Recall that the results for the 2025 UTME were first released on May 9.
Rocketparrot News reported that on May 14, JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede revealed that the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centers in Lagos and the South-East were compromised due to a technical glitch.
During a press conference, the Registrar tearfully apologized for the error and confirmed that affected candidates would need to retake the examination, attributing the issue to faulty server updates that hindered the proper upload of candidate responses in the first three days of the exam.
