A final audit of the results of the 379,775 candidates who sat for the rescheduled 2025 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination (UTME) is being conducted ahead of the final release to the public on Thursday.
The audit team includes officials from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Civil Societies Organisations, academics and other independent observers.
A source, who did not want to be named for lack of authorisation, disclosed the development to our correspondent after the press briefing which announced the completion of the resit.
JAMB spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, had on Monday explained that the results of the resit UTME would be released on Wednesday.
Findngs my our correspondent on Wednesday, however, revealed that the results were being audited, hence, the reason they were not released on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, JAMB, on Wednesday, announced a fresh round of mop-up examinations to accommodate the over 5.6 per cent of candidates who missed the just-concluded 2025 UTME.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the initiative would cover all affected candidates—regardless of the reason for their absence.
“This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity,” he said. “It’s not extraordinary. In any serious system, when students miss an exam, they’re allowed to make up—provided there’s no abuse.”
Oloyede emphasised that the UTME is a placement test, not a measure of intelligence or academic potential.
“Its purpose is to rank candidates for limited admission slots, not to test how smart someone is,” he clarified.
Addressing growing criticism and conspiracy theories about the examination process, Oloyede firmly rejected claims of ethnic bias or administrative 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 praised both candidates and staff for their resilience amid logistical difficulties. “We had limited space. We knew if we wasted more time grieving the challenges, students would lose their opportunity,” he said.
The special mop-up exam will be scheduled soon, and JAMB says it remains committed to transparency and fairness in admissions.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
