The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially admitted to a significant technical error that compromised the integrity of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, affecting nearly 380,000 candidates nationwide. In a heartfelt press conference held on May 14, 2025, JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede took full responsibility for the incident and issued a public apology to all affected candidates and stakeholders.
What Happened?
The problem originated from a failure by one of JAMB’s technical service providers to properly update software on delivery servers in 157 examination centres, primarily located in Lagos and the South-East zones. Specifically, 65 centres in Lagos, involving 206,610 candidates, and 92 centres in the South-East zone, involving 173,387 candidates, were impacted. This failure caused candidates’ responses during the first three days of the examination to not be uploaded correctly, leading to incomplete or inaccurate results.
Despite efforts to correct the issue immediately after it was detected, the patch deployed to fix the problem was not properly applied to all servers. This oversight went unnoticed until after the results were released, resulting in widespread complaints and confusion among candidates who experienced unusually low scores or discrepancies in their results.
Registrar’s Apology and Explanation
Prof. Oloyede expressed deep regret over the incident, describing it as a significant setback for JAMB’s reputation. He emphasized that the error was not due to sabotage but a human and technical oversight by the service provider. The Registrar stated:
“I take full responsibility for this unfortunate incident. It is not sabotage, but an error on the part of a service provider. I sincerely apologise to all affected candidates and stakeholders.”
He also highlighted that JAMB’s culture is to admit errors transparently and assured the public that the board remains committed to fairness, equity, and transparency in its operations.
Steps Taken to Rectify the Situation
In response to the glitch, JAMB has announced a rescheduled UTME for all affected candidates, set to commence on Friday, May 16, 2025. Candidates impacted by the error will be contacted directly via SMS, email, and phone calls to reprint their examination slips containing updated details for the resit.
JAMB is coordinating with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to ensure that the rescheduled exams do not clash with other examination timetables, minimizing further inconvenience to candidates. The board has also involved external experts and stakeholders, including chief external examiners and representatives from affected states, to review and validate the corrective measures.
Impact on Candidates and Public Reaction
The glitch affected a staggering 379,997 candidates, a figure that underscores the scale of the problem. Many candidates had initially expressed frustration and confusion over their results, with some threatening legal action and others voicing their concerns on social media platforms using hashtags like #thisisnotmyresult.
JAMB’s swift admission and apology have been seen as a positive step toward restoring confidence in the examination process. The resit opportunity provides affected candidates a fair chance to demonstrate their true abilities without the shadow of technical faults.
The 2025 UTME technical glitch represents a rare but serious challenge for JAMB. Prof. Oloyede’s transparent handling of the situation, including his public apology and the board’s commitment to rectifying the error through a rescheduled exam, reflects a dedication to accountability and fairness. Candidates affected by the glitch are advised to watch out for official communications from JAMB and promptly reprint their examination slips to participate in the upcoming resit.
This incident serves as a reminder of the critical importance of robust technical systems in high-stakes examinations and the need for continuous vigilance to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s educational assessments.
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