Press Convention Handle on the Complaints in regards to the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) Outcomes by the Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, CON, FNAL, on the Boardroom of JAMB Nationwide Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja, on Wednesday, Could 14, 2025.

1. First of All

Gents of the press, it’s with deep emotions and a excessive sense of duty that I tackle you right this moment with regards to the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) outcomes, which has generated some traction in public discourse and social house. I wish to start by appreciating you for gathering right here right this moment, particularly to the press, whose intensive protection has highlighted the discharge of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) outcomes, formally introduced on Friday, ninth Could 2025. Equally, we recognize all those that have lent their voices to the strident complaints on the outcomes we launched since you all did so out of concern. I recognize our critics immensely as a result of they might have chosen to be detached. I agree with the one who stated that the alternative of affection isn’t hate, it’s indifference; the alternative of artwork just isn’t ugliness, it’s indifference; the alternative of religion just isn’t heresy, it’s indifference; and the alternative of life just isn’t loss of life, it’s indifference. By not being detached to JAMB, we’re grateful.

Immediately marks a second we will not quickly neglect – a day that ought to have been stuffed with celebration for what was, till not too long ago, considered our most profitable UTME train. Regrettably, this pleasure has been overshadowed by an simply avoidable error by one or two individuals.

With out equivocation, there was a number of hoopla because the outcomes of 2025 UTME have been launched final Friday, ninth Could 2025. Even though JAMB is a responsive organisation, the bizarre stage of public considerations and loud complaints has prompted us to do a right away audit or overview of what occurred, which we ordinarily would have carried out in June. I wish to make it clear that our overview and investigation reveal that there are grounds for the complaints about our 2025 UTME outcomes and this press convention is convened with a view to unveiling the bitter reality of our findings brazenly and objectively.

We’re all human afterall however earlier than every other factor, it’s crucial that I make clear the extent that JAMB goes to make sure high quality in its processes and actions.

2.0 JAMB and High quality Assurance

Gents of the press, high quality assurance is cardinal to the operations of JAMB. I can guarantee you that we scale all heights, fathom all depths and traverse all horizons to establish that high quality assurance mechanisms permeate all our operations from the take off level to the end line. We burn the midnight oil and we set our requirements excessive. This is the reason we’ve tips, checklists and protocol guiding our actions proper from the time of registration to the factors of monitoring and supervision to the processing of outcomes.

As we all know we can’t clap with our sole hand as a single entity, we’ve a number of committees in place which can be a part of our high quality assurance system. There are Peace Displays, of 41 ladies of substance who’re or have been Principal Officers of Nigerian universities; we’ve Chief Exterior Examiners (CEEs), who’re Vice-Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts of universities, polytechnics and Schools of Schooling. Every state additionally has Chief Technical Adviser, a good professor who’s an skilled in computing and cybersecurity. Now we have Peace Displays, Civil Society Group, Equal Alternative Group, the Basic Displays Group, Excessive-powered Opinion Leaders, the Roving Group, Technical Advisors Group and the Virtues Vanguards. All of those teams play important roles and complement our employees in guaranteeing high quality and troubleshooting challenges.

Moreover, we even have an in-house marketing consultant and skilled in software program improvement and cybersecurity. In addition to, we’ve launched mock examinations since 2017 as primarily a top quality assurance measure to check our techniques and intervene the place crucial previous to the time of our examinations, figuring out the character of expertise. Our Technical Officers yearly take exams earlier than the profitable ones are deployed to the sector in order that at no level would incompetence set in. All our examination officers are profiled with their NINs to make sure effectivity and accountability. We even have a strong crew of in-house digital testing consultants led by a famend professor of Software program Engineering.

We deploy our techniques to using high-profile organisations inside and outdoors Nigeria as a part of the broader technique of guaranteeing that every little thing works nicely once we want it to work. As a part of our preparations for this yr, we upgraded our system from form-based to the one item-based examination, the latter of which is the worldwide normal now. We simulated this method, streamlined our Autobot and Autotest techniques and nonetheless went forward to develop our personal JAMBTEST, a software program innovated in-house by a small crew led by personal employees, Dubem. We improved on the examination system, simulated every little thing end-to-end earlier than the examinations and we thought every little thing was excellent. All of the layers, together with utilizing dummies, have been deployed this yr however regardless of that, an error occurred. It’s a classical manifestation of the axiom that man proposes however God disposes.

3. Between KAD and LAG

Let me disclose a part of how we function in JAMB for the primary time in public. Aware of the fault-lines of Nigeria, we use two operational ‘autos’ to traverse Nigeria beneath the code names of KAD and LAG. The KAD car accommodates the Northern states excluding Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi and FCT but it surely consists of the six South South states. The LAG car, then again, consists of Southern states excluding the 6 SouthSouth states but it surely consists of Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi and FCT. These ‘autos’ are deployed to serve Nigerians as a complete, the South being a part of the North and the North being a part of the South. So, there isn’t a distinct North or South.

After the mock examinations this yr, we reviewed our LAG (which incorporates South West and South East states as earlier indicated) and KAD examination engines. We realised that within the LAG class, choices to the objects of our examinations weren’t shuffled. We insisted that the shuffling have to be effected. After this was carried out, we examined the replace as ordinary and we have been happy. We thereafter nonetheless did what we name dummy, a simulation, a day earlier than the examinations and every little thing gave the impression to be okay. In different phrases, we believed we have been able to deploy the objects after some layers of testing the processes.

Nevertheless, on the second day of the examinations this yr, which was Friday April 25, 2025, we found that there was some omission within the objects inside the LAG class. An replace for correction and grading adjustment was immediately made and it was examined on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The replace was utilized after 12 a.m. on Tuesday morning and it was profitable. That was why all of the examinations from Tuesday until the tip of UTME had no downside. To appropriate and re-upload the responses(i.e. outcomes) from LAG for the pre-Tuesday glitch, the service suppliers involved with LAG have been deployed to impact the patch however there have been patch errors in some middle’s (servers) for the primary three or 4 days in solely two places. In easy phrases, whereas 65 facilities (206,610 candidates) have been affected in Lagos zone (comprising solely Lagos state), 92 facilities (173,387 candidates) have been affected in Owerri zone, which incorporates the South East states. In clear phrases, within the strategy of rectifying the problem, the technical personnel deployed by the Service Supplier for LAG (Lagos and South-East zones) inadvertently did not replace among the supply servers. Regrettably, this oversight went undetected previous to the discharge of the outcomes.

Recall that final yr, we overhauled our reporting system, which made apparent what has not caught a lot public consideration and thus sparked important backlash from the Nigerian public. In response to widespread considerations about what many known as a “failure charge,” we made changes this yr. Solely skilled educators who know the distinction between achievement take a look at and choice take a look at (which UTME rating take a look at is) weren’t involved, we felt with adjustment made throughout the preparation, higher efficiency of statistics will emerge. We have been due to this fact not shocked when the most effective rating in 2025 (374) was the most effective highest within the final one and half a long time as proven under.

Checklist of Greatest UTME Candidates for the Previous Twelve (12)Yr

S/N YEAR REGISTRATION NUMBER NAME SCORE

1. 2024

-202440343695GA Olowu Joseph Oluwasijibomi -367

-202440097040EF Alayande David – 367

-202440089418GA Orukpe Joel Ehijele – 367

2. 2023202330325356GA Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere – 360

3. 2022202211075576JA Adebayo Eyimofe Oluwatofunmi – 362

4. 202110054281ID Monwuba Chibuzo Chibuikem – 358

5. 202021398306DF Maduafokwa Egoagwuagwu Agnes – 365

6. 201996630270JC Ezeunala Ekene Franklin – 347

7. 201886034528DA Galadima Israel Zakari – 364

8. 201775902784CB Akingbulugbe Treasured Ayomide – 353

9.201665290500BI Akenbor Adesuwa Osarugue – 359

10. 201665740193BF Anonye Victory Emenike – 359

11. 201555395199EB Ilukwe Lottachukwu Geraldine – 332

12. 201447049891HB Onomejoh Princewill – 299

13. 201337207292AB Olise Israel Chukwunalu – 299

Between Friday and Monday, the uproar may very well be stated to have reached the very best decibel and it was coming from some revered voices within the society. Although JAMB normally responds to each criticism based mostly on its benefit, the character of the clam our this time made us to fast-track the overview course of, a autopsy evaluation of the outcomes that we’d have carried out subsequent month. that of final yr; but every little thing fell inside the vary of the present sample.

COMPARISON OF UTME RESULTS SINCE INCEPTION (2013)

Between Friday and Monday, the uproar may very well be stated to have reached the very best decibel and it was coming from some revered voices within the society. Although JAMB normally responds to each criticism based mostly on its benefit, the character of the clamourthis time made us to fast-track the overview course of, a autopsy evaluation of the outcomes that we’d have carried out subsequent month.

4. A Assembly of Minds

On the morning of Monday, Could 12 2025, we issued a tentative press assertion which incorporates “… Whether it is decided that there have been certainly glitches, we’ll implement acceptable remedial measures promptly, as we do within the case of the examinations themselves.” Other than officers of JAMB and different Authorities businesses, resembling, Nigeria Schooling and Analysis Improvement Council (NERDC), we additionally summoned some consultants and professionals who graciously responded to us, together with a famend professor of psychometrics and esteemed skilled in Take a look at and Measurement, who’s from Imo state, Prof. Boniface Nworgu; a technical advisor and skilled from the Pc Professionals Council of Nigeria (CPN), Prof. Adenike Osofisan;a CPN Consultant, Mr Bayo Onimode; the President of the Nigerian Academy of Schooling, Prof. KabiruIsyaku; the Nationwide Guardian-Trainer Affiliation of Nigeria, the Nationwide Affiliation of Nigerian College students, amongst others. We immensely recognize them for heeding our misery name.

Inside 24 hours of rigorous work, we have been capable of isolate the place the issue emanated from. It occurred in 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri zone. In these centres, the patch was not correctly utilized in some centre servers by the service supplier and that failure disrupted the add of the candidates’ responses inside the first three or 4 days, as relevant to Lagos and Owerri zones. The 2025 UTME that would have been our best but, have been it not for the carelessness, negligence, and lack of concern exhibited by the brokers entrusted with this important but simple perform. Instantly we realised this, we summoned the Chief Exterior Examiners of Lagos, Imo, Anambra, Oyo, Abia and Ebonyi, the six states affected. Fortuitously, all of them swiftly responded to hitch the group. We additionally invited Prof. Bashir Galadanchi, a number one skilled in Pc Science; the Nationwide Affiliation of Proprietors of Personal Colleges (NAPSS), which was represented by a leadingvoice in public advocacy, Dr. (Mrs) BukolaDosumu. Numerous our vocal critics have been additionally invited to the interplay such that we might collectively and sincerely study the state of affairs.

Regardless of with the ability to determine the supply of the issue and the affected centres, we’re acutely aware of the painful harm it has inflicted on the popularity of JAMB. As Registrar of JAMB, I maintain myself personally accountable, together with for the negligence of the service supplier, and I unreservedly apologise for it and the trauma that it has subjected affected Nigerians to, straight and not directly. As soon as once more, we apologise and guarantee you that this incident represents a major setback for the Board’s popularity. We stay dedicated to rising stronger in our core values of transparency, equity, and fairness. It’s our tradition to confess error as a result of we all know that despite the most effective of our efforts, we’re human, we aren’t excellent. The one comfort we’ve on this case is that it’s simply one of many two service suppliers that didn’t do nicely by importing improperly but it surely was not a case of glitches nor sabotage.

By Tuesday morning, with the CEEs, the consultants and Mr Osita Chidoka (a former Minister of Aviation) of Athena Centre, we chosen samples of responses and reviewed. We in contrast the outcomes and we’re discovering fascinating correlations besides within the 157 facilities the place distortions had occurred.

We unanimously agreed that every state of the Federation be sampled. No signal of any abnormality to this point has been detected in any centre exterior those talked about and the laborious train is ongoing.

5. No Downside and not using a Resolution

Now we have determined that every one the candidates affected within the 157 centres out of 882 centres shall be contacted to retake their examinations ranging from Friday, Could 16, 2025.These candidates are to be contacted via textual content messages addressed to their registered cellphone numbers, their electronic mail addresses, their profiles and cellphone calls by JAMB. They’re directed to reprint their Examination Slips for the rescheduled examination dates.

Whereas not oblivious of the truth that WAEC examinations are ongoing, we’ve contacted WAEC and in an unprecedented present of solidarity, the Council has graciously determined to as a lot as attainable accommodate us inside the WAEC time-slot. Any candidate with a conflict of timetable, notably for Agricultural Science on Friday, can be rescheduled. Nevertheless, we’ve endeavored to make sure that no such exist. Most, if not all, such candidates are scheduled for Saturday. Fortuitously, the prescribed texts for SSCE are additionally the prescribed texts for UTME aside from the studying textual content of the UTME, which carries simply 10 marks in our Use of English take a look at.

6. Enchantment, Appreciation and Apology

I perceive that there are three highly effective expressions which comprise one phrase, two phrases and three phrases respectively. They’re please, thanks and I’m sorry. So, I attraction to the candidates and people affected by the error of our system to just accept this clarification as the reality of the matter with out embellishment, PLEASE. I apologise and take full duty not simply in phrases.

Then, I wish to say an enormous THANK YOU to the Honourable Minister of Schooling for his unwavering perception in JAMB and what the Board stands for. I additionally recognize all officers and officers who consider in us for his or her goodwill within the face of this problem. Now we have vowed to uphold integrity because the abiding philosophy of JAMB and we gained’t waver or depart from it even though we aren’t infallible. I’m equally grateful to all stakeholders who’ve lent us their help and experience in arriving at a logical conclusion that we’ve arrived at. And for the inconveniencies, as soon as once more, on behalf of JAMB, I say, I AM SORRY to all Nigerians.