Education in Nigeria
JAMB Reschedules 2025 UTME for 379,997 Candidates in South-East, Lagos Amidst Technical Glitches
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the rescheduling of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for nearly 380,000 candidates in Lagos and Nigeria’s South-East region, following widespread technical hitches and what the agency has described as a case of “sabotage.”
At a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the affected candidates—206,610 in Lagos and 173,387 across the five South-East states—will receive fresh notifications via text messages starting Thursday to inform them of their new examination dates.
“206,610 in 65 centres were affected in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri zone comprising of 173,387 candidates in the five states of the South East were affected,” Oloyede said. “I apologise, I take full responsibility.”
He attributed the disruption to deliberate sabotage at some Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres, noting that investigations are ongoing. Some centres have already been delisted, and candidates who experienced system failures or were logged out before completing their tests will be allowed to retake the exam at no cost.
Systemic Failures and Widespread Poor Performance
Beyond the logistical issues, JAMB is grappling with an unprecedented wave of mass failure among the over 1.9 million candidates who sat the 2025 UTME, raising deep concerns about the quality of teaching and learning across Nigeria’s secondary schools.
According to official statistics released by the examination body, only 12,414 candidates—or a meagre 0.63%—scored 300 and above out of a possible 400 marks. This includes 4,756 candidates (0.24%) who scored 320 and above, and 7,658 candidates (0.39%) who scored between 300 and 319.
Another 73,441 candidates (3.76%) scored between 250 and 299, while 334,560 candidates (17.11%) earned scores between 200 and 249. Alarmingly, over 75% of candidates—more than 1.5 million—scored below 200, traditionally considered the minimum benchmark for university admissions in many institutions.
The majority—983,187 candidates, or 50.29%—scored between 160 and 199, while 488,197 (24.97%) fell within the 140–159 bracket. A further breakdown shows that 57,419 candidates (2.94%) scored between 120 and 139, 3,820 (0.20%) scored between 100 and 119, and 2,031 (0.10%) scored below 100.
Root Causes: Sabotage, Infrastructure, and Learning Gaps
While Oloyede has assumed responsibility for the rescheduling crisis, education stakeholders argue that deeper issues are at play. These include poor infrastructure at CBT centres, limited digital literacy among candidates, and the uneven distribution of quality education across regions.
“This is a wake-up call,” said education analyst Dr. Adaora Mba. “The numbers show a chronic failure of both our schooling system and the broader education policy environment. These are not just exam statistics; they are a national emergency.”
Some have pointed to the proliferation of substandard private and public schools with unqualified teachers and inadequate facilities. Others fault the heavy emphasis on rote memorization, a curriculum misaligned with modern skills, and a lack of robust preparatory programs for JAMB.
JAMB Promises Reforms, Security Agencies Called In
In response to the multiple failings, Prof. Oloyede said JAMB is reviewing its partnerships with CBT centres nationwide and will introduce enhanced biometric and surveillance measures to prevent future disruptions. He added that security agencies have been invited to investigate the sabotage claims, and errant operators will be prosecuted.
“Our integrity is at stake,” Oloyede said. “We cannot allow the future of these young Nigerians to be compromised by a few bad actors.”
The board has also urged affected candidates to be patient and await official communication rather than fall prey to misinformation or fraudulent messages circulating online.
technical chaos are expected to delay the 2025 tertiary admissions cycle, with many universities likely to lower their cut-off marks or rely more heavily on post-UTME screenings to select candidates.
Meanwhile, civil society groups and education unions are calling for an emergency summit on education to address the deepening crisis. There are also growing calls for JAMB to be restructured or even replaced with more decentralised and transparent testing mechanisms.
For now, tens of thousands of frustrated candidates—especially those from Lagos and the South-East—await clarity, hoping the rescheduled UTME will offer a fairer chance at securing their academic futures.