The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is
currently conducting a final audit of results for the 379,775 candidates who
sat for the rescheduled 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME),
ahead of their official release to the public on Thursday.
The audit process, according to a source familiar with
the matter, involves a multi-stakeholder team comprising officials from JAMB,
civil society organisations, academics, and other independent observers. The
source, who spoke anonymously for lack of authorisation, revealed the details
following a press briefing on Wednesday that announced the completion of the
resit exercise.
JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, had earlier
told The PUNCH that the results were initially scheduled for release on
Wednesday. However, findings by our correspondent indicate that the results
were withheld to allow for thorough auditing.
Fresh Mop-Up Exam Announced
In a related development, JAMB on Wednesday announced a new round of mop-up
examinations to cater for the over 5.6% of candidates who missed the 2025
UTME—regardless of the reason for their absence.
Speaking during the briefing, JAMB Registrar, Prof.
Is-haq Oloyede, said the new initiative would ensure no candidate is unfairly
left out of the admissions process.
“This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those
who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity,”
Oloyede said. “It’s not extraordinary. In any serious system, when students
miss an exam, they’re allowed to make up—provided there’s no abuse.”
He reiterated that the UTME is a placement tool, not
an intelligence test, designed to rank candidates for limited university
admission slots.
Addressing Controversies and Ethnic Allegations
Oloyede also pushed back against conspiracy theories surrounding the conduct of
the UTME, especially allegations of ethnic bias or institutional incompetence.
“I take responsibility, not because I failed, but
because that’s leadership,” he stated. “I didn’t even realise people viewed
issues around me through ethnic lenses. We must rise above such profiling.”
He commended both candidates and JAMB staff for their
resilience despite widespread logistical challenges, including limited testing
capacity.
“We had limited space. We knew if we wasted more time
grieving the challenges, students would lose their opportunity,” he added.
JAMB says the special mop-up exam will be scheduled
soon, and has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, fairness, and
equitable access in the admission process.
The results of the resit UTME are expected to be
published on Thursday, following the conclusion of the audit process.
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