According to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, the names of the top scorers in the recently concluded 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will not be made public.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, disclosed this at a press briefing in the Bwari area of Abuja on Monday, April 29.
JAMB has said that it would not announce the names of the top scorers in the 2024 UTME exercise. Professor Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB registrar, said the board was avoiding the case of Mmesoma saga after the 2023 UTME.
Why JAMB not releasing 2024 UTME top scorers
Platinum Times gathered that Oloyede explained that the board considered the UTME exercise the only ranking examination in the country.
He said the board decided not to release the names of the top scorers in the 2024 UTME exercise to avoid a repeat of the ‘Mmesoma saga’ after the 2023 UTME exercise.
Recall that after the exercise in 2023, the 19-year-old Mmesoma claimed to have scored 362 against her real score of 249 on the 202 UTME JAMB portal. She also claimed to be the highest scorer on the examination and was already being awarded.
JAMB results of 2024 UTME announced
According to Oloyede, 1,989,668 candidates registered for the 2024 UTME. The exercise was held in 118 towns in 774 computer-based test centres.
His statement partly reads:
“However, owing to public demand and to avoid a repeat of the Mmesoma saga and to provide a guide for those who may want to award prizes to this set of high-performing candidates, the Board appeals to all concerned to always verify claims by candidates before offering such awards.”
Oloyede further stressed that the ultimate goal of the board was to secure admission for qualified candidates.
Why JAMB may conduct UTME in nine countries
Platinum Times Nigeria earlier reported that JAMB has announced the possibility of conducting the UTME exercise in about nine countries across Africa, Europe and Asia.
Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, announced the development at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, April 29.
Oloyede disclosed that the board was currently reviewing nine countries but mentioned seven of the countries so far.