The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that 70.7% of the 1.93 million candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scored below 200 points, even as debates rage over the fate of its Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, following widespread technical issues that disrupted the conduct of the exams in several centres.
Despite the setbacks, 2025 marked the highest number of high scorers since the adoption of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format in 2013. According to data released by JAMB, 134,398 candidates scored 250 and above, an all-time high.
This included 17,025 candidates who scored 300 and above (0.88%) and 117,373 candidates who scored between 250 and 299 (6.08%).
However, 1,365,479 candidates scored below 200, raising concerns about the quality of education and exam preparedness nationwide.
In a statement issued by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board disclosed that 336,845 candidates participated in the rescheduled UTME held for 379,000 candidates affected by technical glitches in six states, primarily Lagos and parts of the South-East.
An additional 21,082 candidates were absent and have been offered a mop-up examination opportunity.
Dr. Benjamin clarified that contrary to circulating claims, 99% of candidates in the rescheduled exam scored below 200, with only a few scoring as high as 217.
“There were no high scorers in the cancelled sessions. The notion that some candidates may wish to retain their previous scores is completely unfounded,” he stated.
The board also disclosed the arrest of several individuals involved in examination malpractice, including over 3,000 candidates identified as accomplices or beneficiaries of fraud. According to JAMB, some school proprietors and CBT centres were complicit in schemes that compromised the integrity of the examination.
The controversy surrounding the 2025 UTME took centre stage at The Encounter 2025 Symposium, themed ‘Deploying ICT Towards Educational Development’. There, education stakeholders, ICT experts, parents, and media professionals debated JAMB’s handling of the examination.
While Dr. Peter Oguduro, an educationist, and a coalition of concerned parents called for Oloyede’s resignation, citing compromised exam standards and accessibility, others defended the Registrar, pointing to his reforms and contributions since taking office.
To ensure transparency and validity of the resit results, JAMB set up a sub-committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olufemi Peters, to review the outcome. A renowned psychometrician, Prof. Boniface Nworgu, was also engaged to provide independent analysis.
As scrutiny continues, JAMB maintains that while the glitches were unfortunate, they’ve offered insights into areas requiring urgent reform and accountability within Nigeria’s education and examination systems.
