The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced on Wednesday that it will reschedule the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for the 379,997 candidates affected by errors in the five states of the South-East and Lagos. The Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, made the declaration during a press briefing in Abuja, describing the incident as a “sabotage” of the examination.
Oloyede said affected candidates will begin receiving text messages from JAMB as early as Thursday with details of their new exam dates and venues. “I apologise; I take full responsibility,” he stated.
The decision follows reports of widespread technical and administrative glitches that compromised the UTME for nearly 380,000 candidates. Of the 1.95 million results processed, only 12,414 (0.63%) scored 300 and above, while more than 1.5 million—over 75% of all test takers—scored below 200 out of 400.
Breakdown of scores shows:
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4,756 candidates (0.24%) scored 320 and above
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7,658 (0.39%) scored 300–319
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73,441 (3.76%) scored 250–299
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334,560 (17.11%) scored 200–249
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983,187 (50.29%) scored 160–199
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488,197 (24.97%) scored 140–159
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57,419 (2.94%) scored 120–139
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3,820 (0.20%) scored 100–119
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2,031 (0.10%) scored below 100
The rescheduling affects candidates in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo states, and Lagos State. JAMB officials have assured that all necessary measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence and to safeguard the integrity of the examination process.
Education stakeholders and parents had expressed alarm after JAMB’s admission that “one or two errors” marred the UTME, prompting calls for accountability and urgent corrective action. This rescheduling move aims to restore confidence and ensure all candidates have a fair opportunity to sit the examination under proper conditions.
