The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the results of the resit examination it conducted for candidates affected by the technical glitch that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
It announced the results on Sunday morning through a statement by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
According to the results, 21,082 of the 336,845 candidates rescheduled for the examination were absent.
JAMB announced a mop-up examination for candidates who missed the initial UTME, including those whose absence had no specified reason. However, it gave no explanation for the high number of absentees in the rescheduled examination.
Also, it raised concerns about widespread examination malpractice involving candidates, school proprietors, and CBT.
A meeting of Chief External Examiners, chaired by Prof. Olufemi Peters, reportedly endorsed the resit results based on psychometric analysis by Prof. Boniface Nworgu.
JAMB approved the release of results for under-aged candidates, though these do not qualify them for admission unless litigation is involved.
“As part of the healing process, the meeting resolved that the withheld results of under-age candidates (except where litigation is involved), who performed below the established standards, be released.
“Such result does not, however, qualify them for admission, as they had previously signed an undertaking during the registration process acknowledging that only those who meet the prescribed standards would be considered for under-age special admission,” it reads.
The Board also granted a one-time waiver for candidates involved in online malpractice.
“Release of Result of Candidates involved in ‘WhatsApp Runs’ and other Misdemeanours. This category of candidates were found to have been involved in illicit solicitation of assistance.
“The meeting emphasised that its decision is not an endorsement of candidates’ unacceptable acts, but rather a once and for all waiver.
“Candidates were thus advised to refrain from joining questionable ‘WhatsApp and other anti-social groups”, JAMB said.
According to the board, CBT centres implicated in malpractice will be blacklisted and their owners prosecuted.
Those involved in biometric or identity fraud will also face legal action.
“The meeting condemned the involvement of some CBT centres in perpetrating serious registration and examination malpractices and resolved that all the implicated CBT centres should be blacklisted, while complicit owners should be prosecuted.
“In addition, the identified individuals, who directly registered the candidates with modified pictures and biometrics be apprehended and prosecuted.”
The Board criticised unregulated tutorial centres aiding malpractice and urged government regulation.
It further reaffirmed its support for CBT and plans to bring in consultants to enhance the registration process.
Efforts to politicise technical issues along tribal lines, were condemned in the meeting, as they urge unity and caution against the divisive narrative.
“The meeting expressed with regret the attempts by some groups to exploit the unfortunate incident to disseminate tribal and sectional narratives.
“The unfortunate incident is not targeted at any section of the country, neither was it caused by any particular section of the country.
“It was emphasised that such narratives risk exacerbating existing divisions within society and even the JAMB workforce.
“The meeting commended the Registrar and the Management of JAMB for the competent and sincere handling of the unfortunate accident and urged them to remain steadfast and courageous,” the statement stated.
JAMB also dismissed claims of high scorers in cancelled sessions, stating 99% scored below 200, with only a few reaching 217.
The Board also condemned attempts to exploit the situation, citing the case of Olisa Gabriel Chukwuemeka, who falsely claimed to have scored 326 in the 2025 UTME.
JAMB confirmed he had altered his 2024 result of 203 and had actually scored 180 in the 2025 exam before his result was withdrawn. He later deactivated his social media account following public backlash.
Recall that the results of the 2025 UTME were originally released on 9 May.
On May 14, JAMB Registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede disclosed that the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in the Lagos and South-East zones were compromised due to a technical glitch.
During the press conference, the Registrar burst into tears as he apologised for the error and confirmed that affected candidates would be required to retake the examination.
He attributed the issue to faulty server updates, which prevented the proper upload of candidate responses during the first three days of the examination.
The Punch
