ABUJA, Nigeria — Professor Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), was overcome with emotion on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, as he issued a public apology to candidates affected by widespread technical glitches during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Oloyede admitted that errors traced to one of JAMB’s service providers distorted the results of nearly 380,000 candidates across 157 examination centres in Lagos and Owerri.
“As registrar of JAMB, I hold myself personally responsible and I unreservedly apologise for the trauma it has subjected affected Nigerians to, directly and indirectly,” Oloyede said, struggling to hold back tears.
The registrar described the development as a major blow to the board’s reputation, which he said had been built on years of rigorous quality control and examination integrity.
“We burn the midnight oil, but despite everything, an error happened,” he said.
“It is a classical manifestation of the axiom that man proposes, but God disposes.”
In response to the situation, JAMB has scheduled a resit for all affected candidates beginning Friday, May 16, 2025.
The board announced that impacted candidates would be contacted directly via SMS, email, and phone calls to reprint their examination slips with updated details.
The 2025 UTME results were released on Friday May 9, 2025.
However, public scrutiny intensified after a performance analysis revealed that over 78 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400 points.
The poor outcomes sparked nationwide protests and renewed criticism of the integrity and management of the examination process.
Calls for reform have grown louder in the wake of the technical failures, with education stakeholders urging JAMB to review its digital infrastructure, quality assurance protocols, and vendor management systems.
While the board has not named the specific service provider involved in the failure, JAMB officials have hinted at ongoing internal reviews and possible sanctions.
