JAMB to Conduct Additional Mop-Up Exam for Absentee Candidates, Dismisses Critics

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to conduct an extra nationwide mop-up examination for candidates who missed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a meeting with key stakeholders aimed at reviewing challenges encountered during the examination.

According to Oloyede, approximately 5.6 per cent of candidates were unable to sit for the 2025 UTME. He said JAMB will extend a fresh opportunity to all affected candidates, regardless of the reasons for their absence. “Normally, we hold one mop-up nationwide for those with one issue or the other. But this time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier examination due to absence, we will extend this opportunity to them,” he explained.

The registrar emphasized that the initiative was not an extraordinary measure but a reasonable response to ensure fairness. He likened it to academic institutions allowing make-up exams for students who miss assessments. “We just don’t allow abuse of that. So, we will allow all the candidates who missed the main examination for any reason to take part in this mop-up,” he said.

Prof. Oloyede also addressed public criticism and misconceptions surrounding the UTME, describing it as a placement test rather than an achievement test. He stressed that the exam’s role is to rank candidates for limited slots in tertiary institutions, not to measure intelligence or academic potential.

He noted that UTME scores alone do not determine admission, highlighting that other factors such as post-UTME performance and institutional assessments also influence final decisions. Oloyede expressed the emotional difficulty in announcing results amid criticisms but rejected any narrative suggesting administrative incompetence or ethnic bias.

“I accepted responsibility, not because I do not know how to do the work. That I should now throw them under the bus? No,” he said. He dismissed conspiracy theories and urged commentators to avoid exploiting the situation to promote ethnic or political agendas.

Oloyede praised the resilience of candidates who completed their exams despite various challenges and commended his team’s efforts in managing the examination under pressure. He reaffirmed JAMB’s commitment to improving the examination process and addressing legitimate concerns.