In a stunning turnaround, a Nigerian student, Nwadike Chukwubikem Chidiebere, has gone from scoring 153 to an exceptional 361 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) after being granted a resit by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The drastic improvement has sparked widespread discussions online and renewed scrutiny over the credibility of the 2025 UTME, which has already been marred by technical inconsistencies and scoring irregularities.
Earlier this month, JAMB released its initial batch of results, revealing that over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200—an unusually high number that prompted concern among students, parents, and education stakeholders. Upon further review, it was discovered that several results had been affected by what the board referred to as technical and human errors during the examination process.
As a corrective measure, JAMB approved a rescheduled UTME for affected candidates, which took place just days ago. Among them was Chidiebere, whose new result has left many stunned and others questioning the reliability of the original exam scores.
Education Advocate Shares Story
Education advocate Alex Onyia (@winexviv) brought Chidiebere’s case to light, sharing the story on X (formerly Twitter):
“From 153 a few weeks ago to now 361. Is God not awesome?”
The post quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions from other candidates and concerned Nigerians who either applauded the transparency of the retake or criticized the limited scope of JAMB's corrective actions.
Reactions from the Public
Here are some notable reactions on social media:
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@francis_ranco: “This is nice, but JAMB should sit this 2025 out and allow tertiary institutions to take full control of their admissions!”
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@Kolintin12: “What about those of us who had incomplete questions but weren’t rescheduled? This isn’t fair. I wrote mine on Saturday at 12 pm and nothing was done.”
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@victoryonyeka: “I’ve been trying to get my daughter’s result by sending messages to JAMB but have received no reply.”
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@YouthspireNG: “Thank you for your advocacy. I experienced similar issues years ago. I wrote JAMB and post-UTME multiple times, scoring the same thing. I knew something was wrong. Thankfully, I later secured two international master’s scholarships.”
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@Tobi_Godsent: “Kudos to Mr. Alex for his role in making the resit happen. However, many students are still facing scheduling issues. How can JAMB guarantee this kind of error won’t happen again?”
The Chidiebere case has reignited concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s standardized testing system. While some commend JAMB’s willingness to investigate and offer retakes, others argue that too many affected students remain unaddressed and unheard.
Calls are growing louder for a full audit of the 2025 UTME process and the implementation of robust safeguards to prevent future mishaps. Advocates are also urging that JAMB make resits more accessible to all students with credible complaints not just a selected few.
In the meantime, students like Chidiebere offer a glimmer of hope, proving what many already suspected: when given a fair chance, Nigerian youths can excel beyond expectations.
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