The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has disclosed that more than 11,553 underage candidates have registered for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Oloyede made this announcement on Friday in Lagos while inspecting computer-based test centers where candidates are being registered. He revealed that, over the past 10 days, a total of 782,027 candidates have completed their registration.
“We’ve registered 782,027 candidates so far, including 11,553 underage candidates. The registration system is actively tracking these figures from across the country. Although we’re targeting two million candidates, we are still in the early stages of the process. By Monday, we will have reached the 14th day, and we expect to have over one million candidates registered by then. So far, the process has been smooth,” Oloyede explained.
He highlighted that on Friday alone, 443 underage candidates were registered, with a total of 18,813 candidates completing their registration that morning. “We registered 443 underage candidates today, and of the 18,813 who registered this morning, 443 were underage. This year, we’ve implemented a new system to identify and track these candidates, which will help us understand their situation and identify genuinely gifted underage candidates,” he said.
Oloyede also noted an increasing trend of parents enrolling their underage children, often due to pressure or other reasons. “It’s becoming more common for parents to register their children early,” he observed.
Regarding the progress of the registration, Oloyede acknowledged both positive developments and some delays. “You’re here. You were here last year. Can you spot any power outages or network issues? While the process has been a bit slow due to the new technical measures we’ve implemented, things are being managed,” he said.
He also reflected on the tendency of Nigerians to expect quick results, which sometimes conflicts with the need for a thorough process. “Nigerians generally want things done their way. For example, these students should be handling their own registrations. In other places, no one would be doing it for them.”
Oloyede emphasized that although some candidates receive assistance with registration, many fail to take the process seriously. “Even when we’ve hired people to assist with enrollment, many candidates still aren’t attentive to the process,” he noted.
To address potential issues, Oloyede shared that new measures have been introduced to ensure candidates engage fully with the registration. “We’ve added certain checks. For example, after a candidate is registered, they must read certain rules before agreeing. Previously, once a candidate clicked ‘I agree,’ the process would move forward. Now, we’ve implemented a time limit to ensure they read everything before continuing.”
Despite these challenges, Oloyede commended the progress, stating that this year’s registration has seen significant improvements. “This is the first time we’re registering more than 80,000 candidates daily. Just yesterday, we registered nearly 100,000 candidates nationwide. Our planning was based on 60,000 registrations per day,” he concluded.
