The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) after receiving an unprecedented wave of complaints from candidates and parents across Nigeria.
In a statement released by the Board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB confirmed what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the UTME results were released last Friday. The concerns range from alleged technical malfunctions during the exams to incomplete questions and record-low scores.
According to the Board, the surge in grievances has compelled it to expedite its post-examination review process, which typically takes place months after the exams.
> “We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinizing these reports to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.
Experts Called In to Investigate UTME 2025 Complaints
JAMB noted that its review covers the entire UTME cycle — from registration to examination conduct and result release. To aid this investigation, the Board has engaged several independent experts, including members of the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, chief external examiners from tertiary institutions, education assessment specialists, and Vice Chancellors.
> “If any faults are confirmed in the system, appropriate remedial measures will be promptly implemented, as we’ve always done in such cases,” JAMB assured.
Candidates Prepare Class Action Lawsuit Against JAMB
Meanwhile, thousands of candidates affected by the alleged UTME irregularities are reportedly gearing up for a class-action lawsuit against the Board. Many claim they experienced technical hitches, inconsistent question displays, and score anomalies during the computer-based examination.
The controversy intensified after JAMB published its official result statistics, revealing that over 1.5 million out of 1.9 million candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks in the 2025 UTME. The revelation triggered national outrage and a trending social media campaign under the hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult, with students and parents alike questioning the integrity of the exercise.
Minister of Education, JAMB Registrar Respond to Criticism
Reacting to the backlash, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, defended the examination outcome during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He attributed the mass failure to the success of JAMB’s advanced anti-examination malpractice technologies, claiming the computer-based system had made cheating “nearly impossible.” He also recommended that other national exams like WAEC and NECO adopt similar technology-driven measures.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, also dismissed allegations of irregularities, stating that comparable score patterns had been recorded in previous years.
Nevertheless, public pressure continues to mount on the examination body, with widespread demands for greater transparency, fairness in result collation, and an overhaul of its assessment systems.
