The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has praised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its transparent handling of the glitches that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a letter addressed to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, NANS expressed its intention to monitor the retake of the UTME examinations scheduled for candidates affected by the technical and administrative issues. The letter, signed by the NANS National President, Olushola Oladoja, was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Abuja.
Oladoja explained that the decision to participate in the monitoring process was in line with the association’s core mission to advocate for Nigerian students and promote transparency and accountability in the education sector.
He commended JAMB’s decision to organize a retake for candidates affected across six states, describing the move as a reflection of the board’s commitment to fairness, justice, and the integrity of the country’s education system.
“In line with our mandate, we wish to formally express our interest to supervise and monitor the conduct of the UTME retake examinations across all affected centres,” the letter read.
Oladoja also announced the nomination of student representatives from each of the six affected states to serve as official NANS supervisors during the exercise. He described them as responsible student leaders with proven discipline and professionalism.
Those nominated include Dr Mike Ifenke and Frank Eme-Orji for Abia; Ikechukwu Santos and Ebube Ijeoma for Anambra; Ibeabuchi Onya and Olisa Nwuruku for Ebonyi; Chidi Nzekwe and Minister Udochukwu for Enugu; Chinaemerem Emesowum and Chidiebere Aguocha for Imo; and Afeez Akinteye and Busari Adelaja for Lagos State.
It will be recalled that out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME, over 1.5 million scored below 200 marks out of the maximum 400. Following public criticism of the poor performance, JAMB enlisted top IT and educational assessment experts to investigate the alleged technical issues.
During a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Prof. Oloyede admitted that a technical glitch compromised the examination process at 157 centres nationwide, affecting the results of 379,997 candidates. He emotionally accepted responsibility and announced that the affected candidates would be contacted to retake the exam on designated dates.
