The body that runs the Nigerian University entrance exam admits that this “technical failure” hurts some of the results of this year’s exam after nearly 80% of students have low grades.

Students complained that they could not log in to the computer, had no problems and power cuts, and were unable to take the exam.

The low pass rate has caused widespread anger, especially after a candidate took his own life.

Faith Opesusi Timileyin, 19, longs to study microbiology at university, and his family died after swallowing poison, her family said.

Her father and sister told the BBC that she took the exam for the second time, scoring 146 out of 400 points, down from 193 last year.

"The pain caused her to commit suicide," her father, Oluwafemi Opesusi, told the BBC Pidgin.

Typically, 200 or more of 400 people are enough to make the university a place in the university by the Joint Admissions and Admissions Committee (JAMB).

Of the 1.9 million students, only 400,000 have achieved this, one of the worst performances in recent years.

Fave Eke, a student, told BBC Igbo that 10 of 165 questions did not appear on the screen - all she could see was a multi-choice choice for the answers.

“We were told to omit blank questions and continue the exam, but it was difficult to concentrate afterward,” she said.

She also had technical problems and achieved results, which meant she was unlikely to go to college this year - she took the exam for the third time.

She took the exam in the capital Abuja, which was not one of the centers where students could retest, completely upset her.

Another student said it was difficult for him to log into the computer before someone else’s profile mysteriously appeared on the screen, showing different problems, and then the machine was completely shut down.

“I didn’t answer all the questions when they told us that our time had arrived because a lot of my time wasted due to these technical difficulties,” he said.

Examination agencies apologize for “painful harm” and “trauma of affected Nigerians”.

At a press conference, Jamb registrar Ishaq Oloyede cried as he apologized.

He announced that nearly 380,000 candidates from 157 affected centers in total will retake the exam starting Saturday.

The most affected areas are Lagos and several southeastern states.

JAMB accused the computer system of failing to upload test responses in these fields within the first few days of the test.

It says “unusual public attention and loud complaints” “prompt us to review or review immediately.” It says this usually happens in June.

The National Examination, known as the Uniform Level 3 Entrance Examination (UTME), is a computer-based exam that is required by those who join universities and other Level 3 institutions.

The 2025 test, conducted in March 2025, was damaged by power outages in certain areas.

Exam agencies defended bad results earlier this week, saying they reflected students’ “real academic competence” and were due to cheating efforts.

Many Nigerians on social media have been calling for accountability, and some seek Oloyd's resignation.

Opposition figure Peter Obi said that while admitting the fault is commendable, the question raises “issues about glitches and serious damage issues”, which are in key institutions.

It is "incompetent. It's a destruction of education. He should be arrested immediately," said rights activist Rinu Oduala.

Other reports from Chukwunaeme Obiejesi, Andrew Gift, Madina Maishanu and Marvelous Obomanu in Nigeria