Human mistake, not a technical malfunction, was the reason for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results problem, according to the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies.
Oboku Oforji, the head of the committee, told reporters during a news conference on Tuesday that initial results showed the disparities, which impacted more than 300,000 applicants, were the result of human error.
According to Naija News, the problem was brought to light on May 14, 2025, when Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation body (JAMB), addressed the media and acknowledged that the body had made mistakes in the results that were made public for a few candidates.
Despite their best attempts to ensure a seamless testing procedure, Professor Oloyede emphasized in an emotional speech that the mistakes were a testament to the board’s humanity.
Oloyede provided additional context for the scenario by attributing the mass failure in the 2025 UTME to a systematic issue as opposed to individual errors. He pointed out that candidates in five states, the Southeast, and Lagos had been impacted by this blunder.
Additionally, JAMB declared that the 379,997 impacted applicants would be rescheduled to retake the test.
Speaking about the development, Oforji—surrounded by his colleagues—stated that human mistake, not a technical problem as JAMB had claimed, was to blame.
He sympathised with the candidates who were affected by the error.
Oforji said, “We sincerely apologise on behalf of the examination body (JAMB) to all Nigerians.
“The committee recognises the courage and sincerity of the JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for accepting the fault on behalf of his team and apologising to the parents, candidates, and the nation in general.
“However, these human errors were avoidable because it was due to negligence by JAMB.
“The committee also appreciates the eagerness and determination of Nigerian students in pursuing their education to improve the future of our country.”Oforji called for a “independent and thorough investigation” into the matter, adding that the committee has suggested reforms to the board. The committee chairman said that JAMB’s consistent procedure throughout the examination process, from registration to the release of results, is commendable despite the “unfortunate” error.
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