Additional mop-up exams will be administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to applicants who were unable to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to the Board, an estimated 5.6% of candidates missed their exams. To make up for this, a special mop-up exercise will be held, giving all impacted students the chance to participate, regardless of the cause of their absence. Speaking to reporters in Abuja on Wednesday at a meeting with important stakeholders to discuss issues faced during the 2025 UTME, JAMB Registrar Professor Is-haq Oloyede made this statement. Oloyede stated that while he appreciated the emotional toll that the UTME results announcement had taken, it was not a sign of institutional weakness. He refuted the idea that administrative shortcomings were the result of ineptitude or ethnic bias and insisted that JAMB is still dedicated to fixing problems that impact the test process.
“I want to be clear that I took responsibility for the task, not because I lack the necessary skills. My coworkers attest to the fact that I don’t give a damn about your background. Because I saw them as my friends rather than problems, I was unaware that I was surrounded by a lot of them until this episode occurred. However, when things started to happen, people started asking, ‘Which one is you?’ which is bad since you don’t have to look at your background. However, since I knew him as a person rendering his services, I was never aware of it. Therefore, please, let’s avoid becoming as bad as those who are out there.
For the fourth time, I state that there is no conspiracy hypothesis that applies to this case. There’s nothing to say about buying more outside or about north or south. It seems like something went wrong for those who had been doing something well for years. They were not dismissed by me. No.
He also criticized individuals who take advantage of challenges to further ethnic or conspiracy-driven narratives and asked stakeholders to end ethnic profiling in education. He claimed that ignorance lies at the heart of many criticisms leveled about JAMB’s operations. The Registrar emphasized that JAMB does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity or origin while applauding the efforts of his team.
Oloyede also conveyed gratitude for the candidates’ perseverance, since several of them persisted in taking the test in spite of many obstacles. Being able to bring such things and say, “Look, I’ll sit there and enjoy,” was really difficult. The only area we had at the time was the one where we had a large scientific practical on Friday, so that’s what we were doing. And we thought we could acquire it by moving in. We would have permanently denied the students their shot at a better life, and it would have taken us an additional two months to secure that kind of space.
Therefore, we were aware that we might not regain that space if we kept moping and lamenting what had transpired. As Griffith mentioned, I informed the students that a very reasonable attendance rate of over 95% for all sessions was achieved. We have also decided that, regardless of the reason, we will not merely sweep up the 5.6% or 6% of people who did not take the test. We typically host one mop-up each country for people who have some kind of problem. We’re coming up with a fresh mop-up this time. We will give this opportunity to everyone, including those who were absent and missed the previous exam. “We aren’t doing anything really noteworthy. When a student misses an exam for any reason, you make it up in class. We simply don’t tolerate misuse of that. Therefore, everyone who was unable to attend the main exam for any reason is welcome to participate in this mop-up.
Additionally, he criticized public critics who misinterpret or misunderstand the UTME’s position.
He explained that rather than being an achievement test, the UTME is a placement test. It is not intended to assess a candidate’s IQ or general academic ability, but rather to rank them for open spots at institutions. He emphasized that a candidate’s ranking can be greatly impacted by their overall performance, which includes post-UTME scores and school assessments, and that high UTME results were not the only factor that determined admittance.
