JAMB admits technical glitches in 2025 UTME results: Registrar weeps, apologises, 379,997 candidates to retake Exams
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is facing an unprecedented credibility crisis after officially admitting to widespread technical failures that marred the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). At a tense press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, emotionally apologised to the nation, confirming that 379,997 candidates would be required to retake the 2025 UTME.
In a rare public show of emotion, the embattled registrar wept openly before journalists, acknowledging the trauma and psychological toll suffered by affected candidates. “I take full responsibility for the negligence of our staff,” he stated, adding, “I deeply apologise for the trauma caused these candidates and their families.”
A Crisis with Human Cost
The 2025 UTME, taken by 1.9 million candidates, has been fraught with controversy. Reports of unusually low scores, widespread technical glitches, and a lack of uniformity in candidate experiences triggered public outrage and calls for accountability.
The crisis took a tragic turn when news emerged that one distraught candidate in Lagos reportedly died by suicide, allegedly linked to his low UTME score. The tragedy has further amplified calls for mental health support for students and urgent reform in Nigeria’s high-stakes educational testing system.
The Scale of the Problem
According to JAMB’s official data, 379,997 candidates across Lagos and the South-East were affected by technical malfunctions ranging from biometric failures to system outages. The breakdown includes:
- 206,610 candidates in 65 centres across Lagos
- 173,387 candidates in 92 centres within the Owerri Zone, which comprises the five South-East states
Affected candidates will now have to resit the examination at a future date, further disrupting academic timelines and compounding emotional distress.
Shocking National Performance Figures
Beyond the technical glitches, the UTME results have raised deeper concerns about the state of Nigeria’s basic and secondary education systems. Of the 1,955,069 results processed, over 1.5 million candidates (more than 75%) scored below 200 marks, out of a possible 400—a performance threshold considered average in most tertiary institutions.
A detailed analysis reveals:
- Only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored between 320 and 400
- 7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319
- 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249
- A staggering 983,187 candidates (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199
- 2,031 candidates scored below 100
The implications are grave for tertiary institutions, many of which may be forced to lower their admission cut-off marks or grapple with a severely limited pool of high-performing applicants.
Systemic Failures or Tip of the Iceberg?
Education stakeholders have described the situation as both a technical failure and a national emergency, pointing to poor foundational learning, lack of infrastructure, and misaligned testing mechanisms as systemic flaws in Nigeria’s educational pipeline.
BRANDECONOMY analysis shows that while JAMB’s embrace of technology was intended to reduce examination malpractice, it has instead exposed a new layer of vulnerabilities—from inadequate testing centre infrastructure to insufficient quality assurance.
Industry experts are calling for:
- A comprehensive audit of JAMB’s technology vendors and exam protocols
- Stricter accreditation standards for CBT centres
- Support systems for candidates impacted by the resits, including mental health counselling and financial aid
Economic and Social Impact
Beyond education, the UTME debacle also threatens economic stability for thousands of families. Many parents had invested scarce resources—sometimes borrowed—to register their children. The cost of logistics, feeding, and accommodation during exams is non-trivial in a fragile economy where youth unemployment is rising.
For private sector education providers, tutorial centres, and tech vendors involved in JAMB’s operations, the crisis may lead to regulatory shake-ups, contract reviews, and potential litigation.
Looking Ahead
As Nigeria braces for the re-examination of over 170,000 candidates, trust in the nation’s tertiary admissions process has been significantly eroded. For JAMB, this moment may prove to be either an inflection point for genuine reform or the tipping point of a broken system.
Education, after all, is the foundation of human capital, and a nation’s future should not hinge on a glitch.
