Reps To Probe JAMB Over Mass Failure, Technical Error In 2025 UTME
The House of Representatives has launched a probe into the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), blaming it on a technical glitch that affected over 379,000 candidates.
The decision followed a motion moved by Rep. Adewale Adebayo from Osun State during Thursday’s plenary, who described the situation as unacceptable.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had earlier admitted a technical failure after releasing the results on May 9, revealing that over 78 per cent of candidates scored below 200 out of 400.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in a press briefing, said faulty server updates in Lagos and the South-East zones disrupted uploads of candidates’ answers in the first three days of the exam.
He said the error came from one of JAMB’s two technical service providers and went undetected before the results were released.
Oloyede stated that the board would conduct a makeup exam for the 379,997 affected candidates between May 16 and May 19.
Rep. Adebayo criticised the impact of the failure on candidates who travelled long distances for the exam, only to be affected by a system error.
He called for a full investigation to avoid future lapses.
Katsina lawmaker, Sada Soli, praised Oloyede for openly admitting the board’s error and apologising.
He also acknowledged the registrar’s efforts in improving JAMB’s revenue.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas said it was up to the investigative committee to determine whether Oloyede deserved an official commendation.
The House adopted the motion through a unanimous voice vote.
It also urged the Federal Government to establish Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in every Local Government Area across Nigeria to improve accessibility and instructed JAMB to release withheld results of candidates under 16 years old.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
