In a bold and unprecedented move, thousands of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates are preparing to sue the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), following widespread complaints of technical malfunctions that reportedly marred the 2025 examination cycle.
The decision, announced on Sunday by education rights advocate and CEO of Educare, Alex Onyia, comes in the wake of public outrage after JAMB revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.9 million candidates who sat this year’s UTME scored below 200 marks out of a possible 400.
Onyia disclosed that no fewer than 8,391 aggrieved candidates had formally lodged complaints against JAMB. These candidates alleged experiencing technical disruptions such as system freezes, incomplete questions, login delays, and automatic submission of unanswered sections during the computer-based test (CBT).
“We have gathered sufficient evidence to prove that JAMB’s technology infrastructure failed these students,” Onyia posted via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, @winexv. “The scale of the damage is enormous. Candidates are demanding transparency—access to their individual mark sheets, a clear breakdown of their results, and an opportunity to challenge questionable scores.”
He added that legal proceedings will commence at the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel JAMB to provide clarity and accountability.
Several affected candidates who spoke with The Punch painted a picture of confusion and disappointment. One student who wrote the exam at a centre in Maitama, Abuja, said:
“For my Use of English paper, several questions were missing. I raised the issue immediately, but nothing was done. I scored 170. This does not reflect my effort.”
Another candidate from Lagos recounted, “I got 287 last year. This year, despite preparing even more rigorously, I scored 173. My friends who wrote on the same day had similar experiences—missing or repeated questions.”
Parents, too, have voiced their dissatisfaction. Mrs. Bukola Okechukwu, a mother of two UTME candidates, said, “These are brilliant students, and their results are inexplicably low. JAMB must explain this. We are calling for an independent audit and remark of the papers.”
Despite the storm of criticism, the examination body has remained tight-lipped. Multiple attempts to reach JAMB’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, for a statement were unsuccessful as of press time.
This silence has only intensified calls for reform, with some education stakeholders urging the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene and conduct a full-scale investigation.
While JAMB and the Ministry of Education have attributed the mass failure to the board’s renewed crackdown on exam malpractice, critics argue that such claims are insufficient.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier defended the 2025 UTME outcome, noting that it reflected the effectiveness of new anti-cheating mechanisms. However, he did not comment on the reported technical lapses or the impending lawsuit.
Education rights groups warn that if JAMB does not address these concerns transparently, public trust in the credibility of the exam system could erode.
“This is not just about poor scores,” Onyia stated. “It’s about the mental health and future of thousands of Nigerian youths. If we don’t fix this now, we will keep disenfranchising bright minds every year.”
As the legal battle looms, pressure mounts on JAMB to overhaul its technical systems and establish a candidate-centred complaint resolution framework. Education advocates have also called for independent oversight of the board’s examination and scoring processes.
Meanwhile, the affected students and their parents await justice—and a chance to reclaim their academic destinies.
Interesting