The 2025 UTME results are in. But instead of celebration, what we’re witnessing is confusion, heartbreak, and outrage. Out of 1.9 million students who sat for the JAMB exam, 1.5 million scored below 200 — a stat that has set social media on fire. But the why behind them is even more alarming than the numbers.
Students are not just failing — they’re being failed. This is not just a story about poor results. It’s a story about system failure, about silence from the top, and about a generation of young Nigerians now questioning their self-worth because of glitches they didn’t create.
The Tech Glitches That Crushed Dreams
Shortly after the results were released, X (formerly Twitter) became flooded with videos and posts from students. Some were crying. Some were pleading. Many were asking others to repost their videos so they could “get JAMB’s attention.”
One student said her screen froze mid-exam. Another claimed she was logged out repeatedly. Others never even got to start the test before their time ran out. These weren’t isolated stories — they came from across the country. The common thread? The system didn’t work. And yet, these students were graded as if it did.
My cousin bro just saw his results now after days of trying.
— 𝔻𝕆𝕎ℕ7𝕆𝕎ℕ
He got 150
He came back the day he wrote jamb and told me his center had issues on questions.
He said he could only attempt 140 out of 180 because the 1-10 on every subject were just answers and no questions.(@Du_Lacc) May 11, 2025
JAMB Admits to “Unusual Complaints” but Downplays the Scale
In response to the uproar, JAMB released a statement saying it had received “unusual complaints” from “a few states.” It also claimed to be launching an internal review with external IT and education experts.
But how do you call over 8,000 documented student complaints just a “few”? How do you ignore an avalanche of digital evidence — videos, screenshots, centre-specific patterns — and insist everything is mostly fine? This kind of gaslighting isn’t just dismissive. It’s dangerous.
This Isn’t Just About Exams — It’s About Mental Health
When tech fails in a high-stakes exam like UTME, the cost isn’t just a poor score. The real cost is mental. It’s the sleepless nights of students who feel cheated. It’s the shame of having to explain to parents why your result doesn’t reflect your effort. It’s the panic of knowing your university dreams might be slipping away — not because you didn’t prepare, but because the system glitched.
We’re now seeing that emotional toll unfold in real time. A video shared by TikTok user @big_ellaa7 went viral this week, showing her younger brother lying in a hospital bed after suffering a severe anxiety attack upon seeing his UTME score. Last year, he had scored an impressive 289. This year, despite intensive preparation, the results were devastating.
“His hopes were dashed,” she wrote. “He’s been in immense pain since.”
His sister voiced what so many families are feeling — that this year’s results are more than just numbers. They are breaking spirits, and they are breaking bodies. This is the part of the story no press release from JAMB will acknowledge: the collapse of trust, the emotional crash, the silent suffering of thousands of students across Nigeria.
As Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, put it:
“There is ample evidence to prove that JAMB’s system was inefficient, thereby causing serious harm to these students’ mental health.”
He’s not wrong. And he’s not the only one speaking up. Thousands of students are now gearing up for a legal fight. And even more are still waiting for answers.
We Can’t Keep Doing This Every Year
Let’s be honest: This isn’t new. Every year, there are stories of centres with faulty systems. Students get rescheduled. Exams are repeated. But the same cycle continues. What we need isn’t another patch. We need a system overhaul — one that values transparency, accountability, and the mental well-being of the students it claims to serve. Because right now, what we have is not a merit-based system. It’s a lottery.
The Real Test Is How We Respond
It’s time we stop treating UTME glitches like technical hiccups and start calling them what they are: a national crisis. If over a million students are walking away from this year’s exam with shattered confidence and no clear explanation, then the system has failed — and not just them, but all of us.
Until we treat students like the future they are, and not statistics on a press release, we’ll keep losing them — to frustration, to depression, to indifference. Let’s fix the system before the damage becomes permanent.
