News

JAMB: ‘Some Sections Had No Questions, Just Answers’; UTME Candidates Narrate Experiences

Published

5 months ago

May 15, 2025

The outcry from parents, and heartbreak suffered by many candidates caused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to review the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.

Now, 379,997 candidates, cutting across six states of the federation, would retake the examination from Friday May 16 to 18.

However, before JAMB reached that decision, some candidates had narrated their experiences during the UTME exam to Vanguard.

JAMB should review the results: According to a 15-year-old candidate, “I was a bit nervous. But overall, it was a good exam. It was simpler than expected, and I didn’t have any problems in the exam hall. My computer worked perfectly. But I got a score of 145.

“However, I’m very sure I did better than this. I would appreciate it if they could review the results.”

Answers without questions: A candidate said: “I wrote my UTME at a private school in Lagos. My experience was quite normal.

“However, there were a few questions that didn’t have questions attached to them, just the (answer) options. There were about 15 of them.

“The supervisor told us to randomly pick answers, and that the issue would definitely be sorted out at the headquarters.

“I sat for English Language, Physics, Biology and Chemistry, and scored a little above 200. But I’ve been hearing a lot of things about the scores this year.”

‘I scored 234, but…’
“I am 18 years old, and I scored 234 in my exam. Well, the exam was not that bad, although it had a lot of stress, because I had to leave my home by 6.30 a.m. The paper was scheduled for 7.30 a.m., but we ended up writing it past 8 p.m., or a few minutes to 9 p.m.

“We had to go through different stressful processes such as thumbprinting, before the exam started formally.

“Considering the fact that it was my first time, I had to make little patches and fix myself up.

“When I started, I had one or two issues because I didn’t know how to log into my JAMB account. I got little assistance from the student sitting close to me.

“I wrote a combination of Mathematics, Government, Economics, and English. When I started with Maths, I had to run back to Government because the first five questions were challenging. I wrote my Government and immediately rushed to Economics. Economics was not that hard because it was one of my best subjects right from time.

“The only challenge we had with English was that the book we were supposed to read for the 2025 exam, the questions we expected didn’t come out. It was a 160-page book, but I ended up seeing just nine questions from it. Then I moved to Mathematics, which was a tricky one. I ended up scoring 53 out of 100 in Mathematics.”

‘Supervisors were mean’
Another 2025 UTME candidate told Vanguard: “I would have done better in this year’s JAMB. But there were a lot of complications due to the educational standard of our country. A lot of people, their scores didn’t come out. I know of a girl who had to check her results twice before the main results came out. Initially, she scored 194. After trying it again, she scored 286.

“I know of another girl who had to check her results just last night (Tuesday). With all the stress and all the preparation lessons, she ended up scoring 174. I know it’s because of the stress, She had to leave home by 6.30 a.m. Because of the road construction that was going on, I had to trek for quite a distance, before I could take a bike. Then I ended up at the wrong UTME centre.

“When I finally arrived, we were 200 that started the exam at about 9p.m. Before then, the thumbprinting was done. Some candidates had to go and wash their hands and clean it before applying again, because the machine was not responding to the thumbs.

“The supervisors were mean. They were not even ready to give assistance. Not even to first-timers. They would be like ‘Didn’t you go for CBT training? Didn’t they teach you this and that?’ I had to talk to them. I think the girls noticed that I was having one or two issues. That was when one helped me with my issues.”

‘This is not my result’
Another candidate told Vanguard: “I am 16 years old. I wrote my exam on the 26th of May. I scored 166. But I know that cannot be my true score. I wrote English, Mathematics, Economics and Government.

“The English was, for me, simple. I don’t know about other candidates. And then the Government as well was very simple for me because I actually used the JAMB syllabus and I covered everything. Economics was as well very simple, just like the Government. The Maths too was okay.

“My score came out 44 in English, 41 in Government, and Maths 45. I thought I should be scoring low in Maths. How is this kind of result possible? At the CBT (exam) Centre, everything went smoothly.

“I don’t know, maybe there was an error in the marking of the exam. But that score? It can’t be for me at all. Coming down to Economics, I got 41. It’s not even possible at all, at all.”
(VANGUARD)

News

Why I Picked Amupitan As INEC Chair – Tinubu

Published

1 hour ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday explained that his choice of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission was based on his apolitical stance, integrity and impeccable record of service.

“President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical,” a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, quoted him as saying.

The President spoke at the State House, Abuja, during the meeting of the National Council of State, which unanimously endorsed the nomination of Amupitan to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure as INEC Chairman ended on Tuesday.

Tinubu told council members that Amupitan, a professor of law from Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria, is the first person from the state to be nominated for the top electoral job.

Council members, including serving and former leaders, backed the nomination, describing the professor as a man of proven integrity.

Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, said Amupitan’s track record “reflects a deep commitment to justice, knowledge, and national service.”

Following the council’s approval, the President is expected to transmit Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.

Aged 58, Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A professor of law at the University of Jos, Plateau State, he is currently the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and also serves as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.

He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees in law from the University of Jos, after earlier studies at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988, Amupitan has built an extensive academic and administrative career spanning over three decades.

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014 and has written extensively on company law, corporate governance, and evidence law.

His published works include Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), and Principles of Company Law (2013).

Beyond academia, Amupitan has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the Council of Legal Education.

He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.

The Kogi-born scholar, described by colleagues as “a jurist of quiet influence,” is married with four children.

When confirmed by the Senate, Amupitan will become Nigeria’s 15th INEC chairman.

News

Meet New INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan

Published

2 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appointment, which was confirmed by the National Council of State on Thursday, follows the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu from the electoral body.

According to a statement issued by Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, Amupitan’s nomination marks the first time a native of Kogi State will head Nigeria’s election management agency.

The law professor hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi state.

Amupitan, who currently serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, has spent more than three decades in academia and legal practice.

He joined the institution in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a Reader in 2003 and a Professor of Law in 2008.

Details from the University of Jos website show that the new INEC boss obtained all his degrees, including Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate, in Law from the same university.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after completing his programme at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

Amupitan’s areas of academic and professional interest include Law of Evidence, Corporate Law, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.

He was conferred with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the legal profession.

Beyond academics, Amupitan has held several administrative and national positions.

He has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, Head of the Department of Public Law, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors at the University of Jos.

He has also represented the institution on several boards, including the Council of Legal Education and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, where he served as a member of the Governing Council.

He was, until his nomination, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.

The legal scholar has authored and co-authored over 50 academic publications, with research spanning corporate governance, electoral law reform, and petroleum industry legislation.

He has supervised more than a dozen doctoral and master’s students in law.

Professor Amupitan is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigerian Institute of Management, and the National Association of Law Teachers.

Outside academics, he has served on several boards, including Integrated Dairies Limited, Riss Oil Limited, and the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council.

He is married to Dr. (Mrs.) Yemisi Amupitan, and they have four children.

News

Elder Statesman Christopher Kolade Dies

Published

2 hours ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Veteran broadcaster and former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Christopher Kolade, has died at the age of 92.

The family announced the elder statesman’s death in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said the late former Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria died peacefully on Wednesday, October 8, 2025.

“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement read in part.

Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and corporate governance, among other things.

Born on December 28, 1932, in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Kolade was the son of an Anglican missionary. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before proceeding to Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he completed his higher education.

Kolade began his career in broadcasting, eventually rising to the position of Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

He later became Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, where he was widely recognised for his ethical leadership and corporate reforms.

The deceased also served Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, leaving behind a legacy of diplomacy, integrity, and professionalism.

Kolade taught Corporate Governance and Human Resources Management at the Lagos Business School and Leadership & Conflict Management at the School of Media & Communication, both part of Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos.

Kolade, a former member of the university’s Governing Council, also served as its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, and was later Chancellor of McPherson University, Ogun State.

Deeply committed to promoting ethical standards in business, Kolade chaired several integrity-driven organisations, including Integrity Organisation Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.