JAMB reschedules 2025 UTME for 379,997 candidates in Lagos, South-East States; JAMB Registrar apologizes for error

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the rescheduling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 379,997 candidates across Lagos and five South-East states following what has been described as a case of examination “sabotage.”

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Wednesday, broke down in tears as he publicly apologised for the errors that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Speaking at a press conference held at the Board’s headquarters in Bwari Area Council in Abuja, the visibly emotional Oloyede expressed regret over the challenges faced by candidates during the conduct of the nationwide examination.

“I apologize for the trauma caused the candidates and I take full responsibility for this,” he said.

According to Oloyede, investigations carried out by the Board revealed significant errors in the conduct of the examination in specific regions, which necessitated the rescheduling.

He disclosed that affected candidates would begin receiving text messages from Thursday, May 15, 2025, informing them of their new examination dates.

“The affected candidates will start getting text messages for reschedule starting from tomorrow,” he confirmed.

Oloyede did not shy away from accepting blame, stating that the errors were due to internal sabotage. “I apologize, I take full responsibility,” he said, repeating his commitment to accountability and transparency in the exam body’s operations.

The rescheduling announcement came amid rising concerns over the overall poor performance in this year’s UTME. Out of 1,955,069 results processed, over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 out of the maximum 400 marks.

Statistical breakdown released by JAMB showed that only 4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above, while 7,658 candidates (0.39%) scored between 300 and 319. A total of 12,414 candidates (0.63%) scored 300 and above, often regarded as a benchmark for top-tier performance.

Further data revealed that 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 candidates (17.11%) scored between 200 and 249.

The largest cluster of candidates, 983,187 (50.29%) scored between 160 and 199, which is widely accepted as the minimum cutoff for admission into many tertiary institutions.

Additionally, 488,197 candidates (24.97%) scored between 140 and 159, 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 candidates (0.20%) between 100 and 119, and 2,031 candidates (0.10%) scored below 100.

The widespread low scores sparked criticism across the education sector, with experts calling for a re-evaluation of Nigeria’s secondary education system and examination processes.