Benjamin Kalu seeks audit of JAMB, result appeal mechanism for UTME

Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, has called for a systems audit on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) following the technical failure that marred its 2025 examination.

The results from JAMB’s 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) were released on May 9.

A breakdown showed that more than 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the 400 maximum points obtainable.

This spurred protests that questioned the overall integrity of the examination process.

JAMB undertook a review and uncovered a major “technical error” that compromised the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres.

The board has since been at the centre of media discourse.

Addressing the press, Kalu expressed deep concern over the outcry by affected candidates in the south-east and Lagos.

He also lamented the tragic death of a UTME candidate by suicide, reportedly triggered by the flawed results.

In response to these revelations, the deputy speaker outlined several urgent actions JAMB must take.

He said the board must immediately review all technical and independent reports to fully understand the crisis.

He said an independent, transparent audit of JAMB’s entire examination infrastructure should be commissioned, involving external professionals and experts.

Kalu said JAMB must provide a clear mechanism for UTME remark and appeal, especially for those dissatisfied with the resit or who faced further technical issues.

He said JAMB should proactively publish anonymised, candidate-level result data for independent verification and open its systems to freedom of information (FOI) requests.

The deputy speaker recommended stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent future occurrences.

Kalu assured affected candidates that their frustrations were valid, adding that the national assembly is ready to provide oversight to ensure necessary reforms are implemented.

He urged JAMB to see this “painful episode” as a catalyst for lasting improvement, emphasising that the integrity of national examinations must never be compromised.