The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced a fresh mop-up examination to accommodate candidates who missed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, May 21, confirming that all affected candidates, regardless of why they missed the exam, will be given another chance.
“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.
He explained that the move is not unusual and aligns with global best practices. “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 said.
Oloyede also clarified the purpose of the UTME, emphasising that it is not a test of intelligence but a tool for ranking candidates for limited university admissions.
“Its purpose is to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to test how smart someone is,” he said.
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Responding to criticisms and claims of bias in the examination process, Oloyede firmly dismissed any suggestion of ethnic profiling or 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 added.
The registrar commended candidates and staff for their determination during the exam period despite logistical setbacks.
“We had limited space. We knew if we wasted more time grieving the challenges, students would lose their opportunity,” he said.
The board said the date for the special mop-up exam will be announced soon, and it remains committed to fairness, transparency, and inclusion in the admissions process.