Victoria Mbangwa
In what could be described as an unprecedented move in Nigeria’s examination history, JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, has openly accepted responsibility for a technical error that marred the integrity of the recently concluded 2025 UTME. Addressing the press at the JAMB National Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, on Wednesday, the Registrar declared that the Board has identified 157 affected centres in Lagos and South-East Nigeria and will be conducting a rescheduled examination beginning Friday, May 16.
The error, which resulted from a failed patch update to delivery servers used in specific locations, affected 206,610 candidates in Lagos and 173,387 in the South-East zone. Despite extensive pre-exam simulations, mock exercises, and multiple layers of quality control, Oloyede acknowledged that a lapse on the part of a service provider went undetected before the release of the results.
“We believed we were ready to deploy after multiple simulations and upgrades, but man proposes and God disposes,” said the Registrar, referencing the unexpected glitch.
According to Prof. Oloyede, the issue arose after the examination body transitioned to a single-item-based system to align with international standards. While results from Tuesday, April 29 onwards were unaffected, those who wrote on the first three or four days of the examination in affected centres were caught in the technical crossfire.
The fallout from the error sparked national outrage, prompting JAMB to expedite its post-mortem analysis. High-profile education stakeholders—including professors of psychometrics, members of the Nigerian Academy of Education, representatives from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and civil society organisations—were consulted in a 24-hour emergency review.
“I understand that there are three powerful expressions which contain one word, two words and three words respectively. They are please, thank you and I am sorry.” Oloyede said solemnly. “So, I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment, PLEASE. I apologise and take full responsibility not just in words.”
The Board has since begun contacting affected candidates via SMS, email, phone calls, and profile messages, urging them to reprint their slips for the retake scheduled to commence this Friday. Collaboration with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has ensured there will be minimal clash with ongoing SSCE examinations, particularly for candidates taking Agricultural Science.
JAMB also revealed that despite the controversy, the highest score recorded this year 374 was the best in over a decade. However, the overall performance across all candidates reflected a downward trend compared to previous years.
The incident marks a sobering moment for the examination body, known in recent years for technological innovation and reforms. Yet, the Registrar remains optimistic about the Board’s future, reinforcing JAMB’s commitment to transparency, fairness, and quality assurance.
“We have vowed to uphold integrity as the abiding philosophy of JAMB and we won’t waver or depart from it despite the fact that we are not infallible.”
he concluded.
For the candidates affected, the next few days will be crucial. For JAMB, it is a test not of academic proficiency, but of institutional credibility and public trust.
