Gladness Gideon
The House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to investigate the technical failures that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), following a nationwide outcry over mass failure among candidates.
The decision came after a motion of urgent public importance was moved by Rep. Adewale Adebayo (Osun State), who highlighted the distress caused to thousands of candidates and families affected by the flawed process.
JAMB had released the UTME results on May 9, revealing that over 78 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of a possible 400. Following the widespread backlash, JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede admitted at a press conference in Abuja that a major technical malfunction affected 379,997 candidates.
According to Oloyede, a faulty server update from one of the board’s technical service providers disrupted the transmission of candidates’ responses during the first three days of the examination. The glitch, primarily affecting the Lagos and South-East zones, was not detected before results were made public.
In response, JAMB scheduled a makeup examination for the affected candidates between May 16 and May 19, 2025.
Rep. Adebayo, while presenting the motion, criticized the oversight that led to such a large-scale disruption, emphasizing the emotional toll and financial burdens placed on candidates and their families, many of whom traveled long distances only to be subjected to a compromised system.
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Several lawmakers supported the motion, including Rep. Sada Soli (Katsina State), who praised Oloyede’s transparency and acknowledged his positive contributions to JAMB’s financial reforms. However, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas clarified that it would be up to the investigating committee to determine whether a formal commendation of the registrar is appropriate.
The motion passed unanimously via a voice vote.
Beyond the investigation, the House urged the Federal Government to establish Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers in all 774 local government areas to improve access and prevent future logistical complications. Lawmakers also called on JAMB to immediately release the results of under-16 candidates, which were previously withheld.
The investigation is expected to assess the root causes of the technical failure, evaluate JAMB’s preparedness, and recommend safeguards to uphold the integrity of Nigeria’s tertiary entrance examinations.