UTME 2025 crisis due to human error — not technical glitch, says reps panel

The house of representatives committee on basic education and examination bodies has attributed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results crisis to human error.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Oboku Oforji, chairman of the committee, said preliminary findings indicate that the error, which affected over 300,000 candidates, was not due to technical failure.

The results from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s 2025 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 an early review and uncovered a major “technical error”.

On April 14, Oloyede said the results of 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in its Lagos and south-east zones were affected.

He said the board discovered discrepancies linked to faulty server updates, which led to the failure to upload candidates’ responses during the first three days of the examination.

Oloyede said the problem, which was caused by one of the two technical service providers for the exercise, went undetected before the results were released.

JAMB would schedule the affected candidates to retake the examination between May 16 and May 19, 2025.

The development has sparked mixed reactions, with Nigerians airing their views across social media platforms.

On May 15, the house of representatives resolved to probe the examination body over the alleged technical error.

‘IT’S HUMAN ERROR’

Oboku Oforji, who was flanked by his colleagues, said the fault was caused by human error not technical issue as claimed by JAMB.

The commitee chairman sympathised with the candidates who were affected by the error.

“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,” he added.

“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 said that despite the “unfortunate” error, JAMB’s consistent process throughout the examination process, from registration to the release of results, is commendable.

Oforji demanded an “independent and thorough investigation” into the matter, adding that the committee has proposed reforms to the board.

On April 19, the south-east caucus in the house of representatives demanded the resignation of the JAMB registrar.

The lawmakers also called for the cancellation of the 2025 UTME for a fresh examination to be conducted.