By:NIGPOST Reporter
April 27, 2025
As the 2025 UTME progresses, concerns over exam schedules, impersonations, and technical disruptions are causing tension among candidates and their families nationwide.
No fewer than 40 impersonators have been arrested during the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed. This development comes amid rising complaints from parents and guardians over the 6:30 am resumption time for the exams, which many say is too early and risky for young candidates.
The 2025 UTME, which started on Thursday, April 24, is set to end on Monday, May 5. Over 2,030,627 candidates are sitting for the exams across accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide.
Parents have voiced frustration over candidates being assigned to faraway centres. A mother from Awoyaya, Lekki, lamented that her 14-year-old son was posted to Ikorodu, requiring him to leave home around 4 am to meet the 6:30 am check-in time.
“This is wickedness. How can a teenager safely travel so early without a private car?” she questioned.
Similarly, Olaoluwa Yinka shared his displeasure on X (formerly Twitter), explaining how his younger sister had to travel from Abeokuta to Ijebu Igbo for an early morning exam, describing the arrangement as “absurd.”
Other parents and activists, including Rinu Oduala, slammed JAMB for what they called inconsiderate scheduling, emphasizing the dangers teenagers face traveling long distances at odd hours.
In a particularly worrying incident, a 16-year-old candidate, Esther Oladele, went missing after boarding the wrong bus from Ajah to Epe. Her brother, who raised the alarm on social media, said it took nearly 48 hours before she was found in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, safe but disheveled.
On the issue of impersonation, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin expressed frustration, noting that despite technological advances, malpractice persists, making remote exams impractical in Nigeria for now.
He added, “Other countries conduct exams remotely, but we can’t yet because of trust issues.”
Responding to the backlash about early exam times, Benjamin clarified that while candidates are expected at their centres by 6:30 am for pre-exam procedures, the exams actually start at 8:00 am.
“Our exams start at 8am, not 6am,” he emphasized. “The early arrival is to allow for pre-checks and avoid lateness.”
Benjamin defended JAMB’s logistics, stating that centres are assigned based on proximity to candidates’ selected examination towns, and that less than 10% of candidates face long-distance travel challenges.
However, concerns over examination conditions have not ended. In Adamawa State, parents of candidates at the Modibbo Adama University CBT centre are demanding a cancellation of the UTME session after a power failure disrupted the exam. Protesters cited the outage as a major flaw that jeopardized their children’s performance.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies has pledged support for JAMB to improve future examinations. Committee Chairman Oboku Oforji, after visiting some centres in Abuja, praised JAMB’s efforts but noted the need for better facilities like first aid services and air conditioning.
The committee vowed to push for reforms to ensure candidates’ welfare is prioritized during national examinations.
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