Silas Udoma
The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has become a major topic across Nigeria, following a record-breaking failure rate that has left students, parents, and educators deeply concerned. With over 70% of candidates scoring below 200, many are questioning the credibility of the results released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
In the middle of this uproar is the law firm John Nwobodo & Associates, which is now taking a bold legal step on behalf of over 1.5 million candidates. The firm submitted a formal request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, demanding full disclosure of the UTME questions, answers, and each candidate’s individual response.
According to the law firm, their clients — 1,534,654 in total — have raised suspicions of possible software malfunctions or scoring errors in JAMB’s system. Some candidates, who expected better results, scored as low as below 100. Others landed in the 160–199 range but still doubted the fairness of the grading process.
The letter sent to JAMB stated:
“The above scenario has cast a shadow of doubt over the integrity of the software deployed by the Board in administering and marking the questions.”
Currently, the JAMB system only displays each candidate’s subject scores and total aggregate, without giving access to the actual questions or correct answers. This lack of transparency is what the legal team is challenging.
Also Read: 2025 UTME Crisis: JAMB Launches Urgent Investigation Amid National Outcry
The law firm insists that JAMB must reconfigure its system to show the full breakdown — including the exact questions each candidate answered, the correct answers, and what responses were chosen. According to them, this level of openness will either confirm the accuracy of the published scores or expose issues that need urgent reform.
They added that their clients are ready to take legal action if the Board fails to respond appropriately.
“Take notice that we have the instruction of our clients to explore every legal avenue to seek justice for the aggrieved candidates,” the firm warned.
This demand comes as JAMB faces intense public scrutiny. In response to the growing backlash, the examination body announced it would review the 2025 UTME results, with help from experts in education, data science, and software development. However, no firm decisions have been made yet regarding the release of individual question-and-answer breakdowns.
Meanwhile, education analysts and the public alike are pressing for a full audit of the UTME process. They point out issues like technical glitches during the exam, frozen computer screens, and poor candidate experiences as possible reasons behind the widespread low scores.
Beyond the legal battle, this controversy highlights deeper problems in Nigeria’s education sector — including curriculum challenges, digital infrastructure gaps, and inadequate preparation systems for nationwide exams.
With thousands of students’ futures hanging in the balance, all eyes are now on how JAMB will respond. Will they open up their systems and let the light in? Or will they defend the status quo and face court proceedings?
Whatever the outcome, one thing is clear — John Nwobodo & Associates have stirred a critical conversation about fairness, transparency, and accountability in Nigeria’s exam system. And the pressure is on for JAMB to act fast.
