*Nigerians blame FME, JAMB for the low scores
Despite the hue and cry, with some parents making all sorts of allegations against the examination body, a 16-year old candidate, Olamide Aderibigbe, scored 98 in mathematics, during the just concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The young lad, a student of Starville International School, Jabi, Abuja, also scored 86 in Physics; 68 in English and 84 in Economics, raking in a total of 336 marks.
The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while giving a breakdown of the 2025 UTME, stated that 12,414 of the over 1.9 million that sat for the UTME, scored 300 and above, with 4,756 scoring 320 and above.
In 2024, out of the 1.9 million candidates who wrote the examination, only 8,000 candidates, or 0.5 per cent, scored above 300 points in the examination, which Nigerians blame on quota system and poor cut-off policy by Federal Ministry of Education and JAMB.
The 2025 UTME results were officially released to the public on Friday, with over 1.5 million candidates scoring below 200, which is considered the average benchmark.
The UTME, which is scored over a total of 400 marks, tests candidates across four core subjects.
While the Use of English is mandatory for all, candidates are allowed to choose three other subjects relevant to their intended course of study.
Reacting to the performance data, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the results reflect the effectiveness of government efforts to curb exam malpractice.
Speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, Olamide’s father, Niran Aderibigbe, expressed gratitude to God over the result of his son.
“He hopes to study Architecture at Covenant University or the University of Ibadan.”
Several Nigerian have called on the Minister to remove quota as a key principle over merit in the admission of candidates to the universities, saying it has continued to lover candidates scores, leading to reduced JAMB benchmarks for admission each successive year.
Those who spoke to our correspondents said: “How can a country in dire need of technological and scientific development keep itself down for decades for some persons who have refused to regard education as of great value.
“For over 50 years, a particular section of the country claim they are educationally disadvantaged. They keep dragging the country down, yet that same so-called educationally disadvantaged section is today occupying all sensitive portfolios in the country from business to commerce, to agriculture, to education, to security, to political governance.
“The nation keeps lowering JAMB scores because of them so that they will take up every opportunity in the universities; yet, every time complaining of being educationally disadvantaged; yet, things are going from bad to worse in the country.
“Is it not clear to everyone that anyone whose aggregate JAMB score is 200 failed in at least one subject? How can someone who failed in one of the core subjects be certified for admission? But, that is what we do in this country. Soon, we will bring down the total score to 150 marks.
“The terribly low score, to me, was a consequence of the insensitivity of the Federal Ministry of Education and JAMB which looked the other way while the nation burn”.
