The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to conduct a special mop-up examination for candidates who missed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the initiative will accommodate over 5.6 per cent of registered candidates who were unable to sit for the examination, regardless of the reason for their absence.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Oloyede said, “This time, we are creating a new mop-up. Even those who missed the earlier exam due to absence will get another opportunity.
“It’s not extraordinary. In any serious system, when students miss an exam, they’re allowed to make up—provided there’s no abuse.”
He reiterated that the UTME is a placement test designed to rank candidates for limited admission spaces, not to measure intelligence or academic potential.
Responding to criticism and ethnic conspiracy theories surrounding the exercise, Oloyede dismissed allegations of bias or administrative failure. “I take responsibility, not because I failed, but because that’s what leadership demands,” he said. “I didn’t even realise some people viewed these issues through ethnic lenses. We must rise above such profiling.”
He also commended candidates and JAMB staff for their patience and resilience despite logistical challenges. “We had limited space. We knew if we spent more time lamenting the situation, many students would lose their chance,” he noted.
Details of the mop-up examination schedule will be announced in due course. JAMB affirmed its continued commitment to fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity in the admissions process.
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