In response to growing public anxiety and allegations of irregularities surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), former Minister of Aviation and education advocate, Osita Chidoka, has appealed for calm, stating that “the truth is emerging” and a fair process is underway. Chidoka made this statement following a high-level review meeting at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) headquarters in Abuja.
“The Athena Centre has been inundated with messages and calls urging us to speak on the 2025 JAMB results,” Chidoka said on Monday, May 13. “While we deeply appreciate the growing public confidence in our work, we believe that commentary—especially on such a sensitive national issue—must be based on evidence, not emotion or speculation.”
According to him, the Athena Centre deliberately refrained from making any public pronouncement until it had verified facts. That changed after Chidoka received a formal invitation to join other education stakeholders at JAMB headquarters for a comprehensive review of the 2025 UTME administration. The gathering included state Commissioners for Education, Vice Chancellors, members of the Parents-Teachers Association, the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, and Chief External Examiners.
“What I witnessed left me encouraged,” Chidoka stated. “JAMB has embraced transparency, rigour, and accountability in the face of serious public concern. I am proud of the open and honest process they instituted to address the technical issues that affected results in Lagos and the South East. This is the hallmark of institutional integrity and responsibility.”
A key part of the review process involved the physical re-marking of selected answer scripts in the presence of all stakeholders. Chidoka described this as “a painstaking but necessary process,” which he believes demonstrates JAMB’s commitment to truth over convenience. “We observed the physical re-marking of randomly selected scripts. It showed that the system, though imperfect, is responsive when citizens raise valid concerns,” he said.
To further support transparency, Chidoka revealed that his team at the Athena Centre, through its Arthur Nwankwo Institute, had filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and is currently reviewing ten years of UTME data for comparative analysis. “We are reviewing 10 years of past results for comparative analysis with the 2025 results,” he said. “This will help us understand whether what we’re seeing this year is an anomaly or part of a broader trend.”
Chidoka also used the opportunity to commend Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, for his persistent advocacy on behalf of students and the education sector. “I want to thank @winexviv Alex Onyia for his consistent advocacy in the education sector and for standing firmly on the side of students and fairness,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Chidoka urged all candidates and parents affected by the current JAMB result issues to exercise patience. “So far, I am impressed with the review process and call on all affected candidates to remain calm and await formal communication from JAMB in the coming days,” he said. “Let us build a nation where truth, not speculation, shapes our response to failure and where integrity is the foundation of reform.”
