A comprehensive technical review by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has identified a significant oversight in server updates, compounded by human error, as the cause of invalidated results for 379,997 candidates in Lagos and the South-East who participated in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
JAMB collaborated with the independent Educare Technical Team to assess the extent of the issue. Data from over 18,000 candidates were collected, and after thorough cleansing, approximately 15,000 authentic response logs were analyzed.
The findings were disclosed during a high-level technical review session at JAMB’s headquarters in Abuja, led by Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede. This emergency meeting was convened in response to widespread concerns following the release of unusually low scores from the 2025 UTME.
Data indicated that over 1.5 million candidates out of the 1.9 million who received results scored below 200 marks. The root cause was traced to the uneven deployment of a critical server patch essential for supporting major innovations introduced in this year’s UTME. While the updates were correctly applied to servers in the Kaduna cluster, they were not deployed to the Lagos cluster, servicing Lagos and the South-East region.
This oversight led to widespread mismatches in answer interpretation and validation. Over 14,000 records were linked to the affected centers under the Lagos server cluster. Internal and external audits revealed significant overlaps in results, confirming systemic malfunction.
Consequently, approximately 92 centers in the South-East and 65 centers in Lagos—totaling 157 centers—operated using outdated server logic incompatible with the new answer submission and marking structure. This affected an estimated 379,997 candidates, whose results were severely impacted due to system mismatches during answer validation.
The review underscores JAMB’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of its examination processes. Moving forward, the board plans to implement stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent such oversights.
During a press briefing in Abuja, Professor Oloyede expressed deep remorse over the incident, acknowledging it as a systemic failure. He announced that the affected 379,997 candidates would retake the examination.
Specifically, 65 centers (206,610 candidates) in Lagos and 92 centers (173,387 candidates) in the South-East were affected. The technical personnel failed to update some delivery services, an oversight that went undetected before the results were released.
JAMB has isolated the affected centers and will organize a resit for the impacted candidates starting Friday, May 16, 2025. Candidates will be contacted via text messages sent to their registered phone numbers.
Professor Oloyede offered a heartfelt apology, stating, “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. I apologize and take full responsibility, not just in words.”
He also expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Education and all stakeholders for their support during this challenging period.
However, calls for Professor Oloyede’s resignation intensified following the revelation. Education analyst Jacob Sule suggested that the Registrar should step aside to allow for an independent and transparent investigation. Others on social media echoed similar sentiments, criticizing the handling of the situation.
Meanwhile, parents of underage candidates demanded the release of their children’s results. One parent in Abuja questioned why the board withheld results of candidates under 16, expressing concern over the trauma inflicted on the students.
Mrs. Abiodun Ashimolowo shared that her daughter was distressed, questioning the rationale behind holding back results due to age.
The President of the Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Danjuma Haruka, commended Professor Oloyede for his transparency but called for further clarity on the nature of the errors that disrupted the examination. He emphasized the need for detailed communication from JAMB to reassure concerned parents and students.
The error was initially discovered on April 25, involving omissions in the ‘Lagos category,’ a code for southern states excluding the six South-South states but including Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kogi, and the Federal Capital Territory. Corrections and grading adjustments were made and tested between April 26 and April 28.
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- JAMB’s Clarification on UTME Network System
- JAMB’s Announcement on UTME Registration DatesPunch+5Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board+5TheCable+5Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board+2Nairametrics+2Legit.ng – Nigeria news.+2Legit.ng – Nigeria news.+6Premium Times Nigeria+6Premium Times Nigeria+6
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