JAMB Faces Scrutiny After Technical Errors Impact UTME Candidates
For many Nigerian students, getting into university is already a high-pressure journey. Now, almost 380,000 of them are facing even more tension: a new round of exams, thanks to technical problems during this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says these students deserve a second shot after widespread glitches compromised their original test sessions.
This isn’t just a handful of complaints. According to JAMB, 379,997 candidates experienced a mix of system crashes, misfiring scoring software, and other disruptions. Some students arrived eager to prove themselves, only to find that their answers never even registered. Others saw strange scores that didn’t match what they remembered answering. The technical problems caused a wave of frustration that rippled through classrooms and families all over the country.
Recognizing the uproar, JAMB got to work investigating the mess. The result? A total do-over for those affected. Students who will need to retake the exam will start getting SMS or email notices from May 15, with the actual resit dates beginning on May 16. If you’re one of the impacted students, keep a close eye on your inbox and SMS, and don’t ignore anything from official JAMB channels.
JAMB Vows Transparency While Warning About Exam Scams
Trying to calm nerves, JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, stepped up to the microphone to say sorry. He admitted the scale of the issue wasn’t acceptable and made a public apology, stressing that the board is looking into what went wrong and promising fixes to prevent a repeat.
But while the board tries to patch things up, there’s yet another challenge: scammers are lurking, eager to take advantage of confusion. Recently, JAMB flagged a new scam involving fake verification codes, like “8863/55019,” sent to candidates in what looks like an official message. These fraudsters are trying to pull candidates into bogus payment traps or steal personal data. JAMB’s advice? Trust only the official SMS and email accounts you usually use, and ignore any strange requests—or risk falling victim to fraud.
This resit doesn’t just mean a couple of dates added to the calendar. It means months of preparation, dashed hopes, and another chance to try again for students whose whole academic future can hinge on a JAMB score. There’s frustration, sure, but some relief—at least students won’t be judged on a botched process outside their control. As the retakes approach, families and educators alike are pushing for transparency and fairer systems to stop these chaos-inducing glitches from happening again.