…Parents, Ohanaeze Youth kick as Board orders resit for over 200,000 candidates
Some candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have called for the total cancellation of the results following the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) admission of technical errors that affected the performance of over 379,000 candidates.
The aggrieved candidates, speaking with Daily Trust on Wednesday, expressed their frustration, disappointment and heartbreak after JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, publicly broke into tears and apologised for the massive glitch that marred the exams in 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in the South East.
One of the candidates, Aham Ijendu Chimereze, who sat for the exam in Owerri, said, “I’ll be glad to retake the examination if the errors will not be repeated again.”
Another candidate, Uchenna Eme, narrated how his exam was rescheduled from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a last-minute change of centre. “I have not checked my result to know if I did well or not after the story of poor performance broke out, but I don’t mind retaking as well,” he said.
Jennifer, another candidate, described how electricity and network failure disrupted her session. Hassan Abdul, who wrote his UTME in Lokoja, Kogi State, said the fairest thing would be to cancel all results. “It will be best if the entire results are cancelled, so that we all retake it,” he insisted.
Mercy Obinna from Anambra echoed the same view. “No need to single out some centres. The entire exercise should be cancelled and let all of us retake the exams,” she argued.
But while many candidates are calling for a fresh start, others feel blindsided and unsettled by JAMB’s decision. Shoneye Neemah Darasimi, a Lagos-based candidate, said, “When I first saw my result, honestly, I was so proud and relieved. Now hearing that some of the results were reversed, I am shocked, confused, and honestly heartbroken. It felt like the system failed us.”
Falola Deborah Oluwatunmise also raised concerns. “I had technical glitches. From number 1 – 11, I saw only answers, no questions. My questions stopped at number 55 instead of 60. I’m scared. What if they ask me to write again and my score drops? I’ll really hate JAMB for it,” she lamented.
The backlash came after JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed during a press briefing in Abuja that the error stemmed from a service provider’s failure to deploy an updated grading software.
“The issue specifically impacted 65 centres in the Lagos zone affecting 206,610 candidates and 92 centres in Owerri zone, affecting over 173,387 candidates,” Oloyede explained.
He admitted: “This unfortunate incident represents significant self-harm to the integrity we’ve built over the years. But we remain committed to transparency, fairness, and equity. It is our culture to admit error and take responsibility.”
Despite the apology, public outrage continues to rise. Parents, civil society organisations and socio-cultural groups have added their voices.
Mr Sydney Obi, a parent, said, “The errors in the result were a big issue as it caused a lot of emotional disturbance for candidates and their parents. JAMB should have done proper auditing before making the official release.”
Another parent, Mrs Funmilayo Lawrence, said, “JAMB Registrar has done a good thing to have taken responsibility… the beauty of this is that those affected would be made to resit the exam, which for me is commendable.”
In a strongly worded statement, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide rejected JAMB’s plan to reschedule the examination for affected candidates. Its National President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, said the Board’s action amounted to “another round of mental torture, stress and risk” on innocent students.
“We want to state unequivocally that our people will not accept any fresh examination, having already been subjected to mental torture by JAMB,” Nnabuike said. “The candidates are not in the right frame of mind to undergo another examination, having been faced mental torture ever since the fake results were announced.”
He alleged deliberate marginalisation of South East candidates and demanded that “JAMB should allocate 300 score to all the South East candidates affected by its own error not that of the candidates. Igbos are very brilliant people and could have made 300 and above.”
“Should JAMB fail to heed to our request, we shall not hesitate to drag them to court. No form of crocodile tears by the Registrar will save the Board,” Nnabuike warned.
Meanwhile, an academic from Nasarawa State University, Prof. Nasiru Idris, advised JAMB to adopt a real-time grading system. “JAMB should look for a software that will disclose result immediately after answering the last question,” he said.
An educational expert, Oyarekhua Happiness, added: “Giving them what they did not deserve makes it seem unjust, so the reversal is justified… This is a national issue and they can’t keep going front and back on issues like this.”
As tension continues to build, the Board has said affected candidates will receive SMS messages instructing them to reprint their slips for the rescheduled examination taking place on Friday and Saturday.
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