The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has completed an audit of the results of 379,775 candidates who sat for the rescheduled 2025 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (UTME), ahead of the public release scheduled for Thursday.
An audit team—comprising JAMB officials, members of Civil Society Organisations, academics, and other independent observers—carried out the final review of the results.
A source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, informed our correspondent of the development after a press briefing that confirmed the conclusion of the resit exercise.
JAMB spokesman Dr. Fabian Benjamin had told The PUNCH on Monday that the board would release the resit UTME results on Wednesday. However, our correspondent learned on Wednesday that JAMB postponed the release to allow time for the audit.
In a related development, JAMB on Wednesday announced a new round of mop-up examinations to accommodate the over 5.6 per cent of candidates who missed the just-concluded 2025 UTME.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the initiative would include all affected candidates, regardless of why they missed the initial exam.
“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 serves as a placement test, not a measure of intelligence or academic ability. “Its purpose is to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to test how smart someone is,” he explained.
Responding to criticism and conspiracy theories surrounding the examination process, Oloyede strongly denied allegations of ethnic bias or administrative failure.
“I take responsibility, not because I failed, but because that’s leadership,” he said. “I didn’t even realise people viewed issues around me through ethnic lenses. We must rise above such profiling.” He also commended candidates and staff for their resilience amid logistical challenges.
“We had limited space. We knew if we wasted more time grieving the challenges, students would lose their opportunity,” he said.
JAMB will soon announce the date for the special mop-up exam and reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and fairness in the admission process.
