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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results.

 

In this year’s UTME, over 1.5 million out of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination scored below 200 in the just-concluded exam.

 

This was revealed in the statistical analysis of the 2025 UTME results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday.

 

The statistics indicated that only 420,415 candidates scored above 200 in the 2025 edition of the UTME.

The data showed that 75 per cent of the candidates scored below 200 in the exam, with less than 1% scoring above 300.

 

In the statement accompanying the data, JAMB said, “40,247 underage candidates were permitted to demonstrate their exceptional abilities. However, only 467 of these candidates (1.16%) achieved scores that meet the threshold for exceptional ability as defined for the UTME, with their performance in the subsequent three stages still pending.

 

The examination began on Thursday, April 24.

 

In this report, PUNCH Online highlights the step-by-step guide on checking this year’s JAMB result via the website and the SMS options. See the processes below:

Check UTME results 2025 via the website

 

Visit the JAMB eFacility Portal: Open a web browser and visit the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s eFacility portal at https://efacility.jamb.gov.ng/login.

Enter your login details: Here, you’ll need to provide your email address and password you used during registration.

Access your results: Once you’ve entered the required details, click on the “Check UTME Results” button. Your UTME score for each subject taken will be displayed on the screen.

 

Checking UTME results 2025 via SMS

 

Open your messaging app: On your mobile phone, launch your text message application.

 

Compose a new message: In a new message, type “RESULT” (all caps) followed by your JAMB Registration Number.

 

Send the SMS: Send the message to either 55019 or 66019, the official JAMB result via SMS numbers.

Receive Your Results: JAMB will then send you a reply SMS containing your UTME scores for each subject taken.

 

Service Charge: This method incurs an N50 charge, which will be deducted from your mobile phone airtime.

 

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called on all levels of government in Nigeria to urgently redirect national focus toward critical areas of development, particularly health, education, and poverty alleviation.

 

Obi made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday via X, warning that the country’s worsening poverty levels were a result of years of misplaced priorities.

 

“In Nigeria today, the situation we find ourselves in calls for urgent and deliberate action,” he said. “It is time for all levels of government to prioritise critical areas of development—particularly investment in health, education, and poverty alleviation.”

 

Citing recent data from the World Bank, Obi said the poverty rate among rural Nigerians has now risen to over 75 per cent as of April 2025, while 41.3 per cent of Nigeria’s urban population also lives below the poverty line.

 

“This shows that poverty is no longer just a rural crisis—it has become a national emergency,” he stated.

 

According to the former governor of Anambra State, the current levels of poverty are significantly worse than in previous years.

 

“In comparison, the World Bank reported that in 2018/2019, about 30.9 per cent of Nigerians lived below the international extreme poverty line. As of 2025, that figure has more than doubled instead of improving,” he added.

He blamed the deterioration on what he described as misplaced government priorities over the years.

 

“These facts confirm that poverty in Nigeria has worsened significantly—and this is no coincidence,” he said. “It is the direct result of years of misplaced priorities. Rather than investing in critical sectors, we have continued to prioritise wasteful spending on non-developmental projects such as conference centres, government houses and lodges, guest houses, and fleets of official vehicles.”

 

Obi emphasised the need to shift attention to human capital development as the foundation for national transformation.

 

“We must reassess what truly matters. The decisions we make—what we build, fund, and focus on—must align with the pressing needs of the people,” he said.

 

He added that Nigeria’s path to development lies in expanding access to quality education and healthcare and in supporting job creation through Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.

 

“Nigeria must expand access to quality education and healthcare and support job creation by investing in and empowering Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, which are essential for lifting people out of poverty,” Obi stated.

 

Six members of the House of Representatives from Delta State and their two counterparts from Enugu have announced their defection from their former parties to new political platforms.

 

While the six members from Delta state announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, the two members from Enugu state swapped the Labour Party for the PDP.

 

The letters of defection from the members were read on the floor of the House at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday.

 

The defecting members from Delta were led by the Leader of the Southern regional caucus of the three House and the longest-serving member, Nicholas Mutu (Bomadi), who has been in the House on the platform of the PDP since 1999.

Other defecting members include Nnamdi Ezechi (Ndokwa/Nkwuani), Jonathan Okodiko (Isoko), Thomas Eriyetomi (Warri), Julius Pondi (Burutu), and Victor Nwokolo (Ika North and South).

 

Those who left LP are Mark Obetta (Nsukka/Igboeze South of Enugu state and Dennis Agbo (Igbo Eze North/Udenu).

 

The defectors anchored their reasons for seeking fresh political platforms on the crises rocking their former parties across all levels.

 

Recall that the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, and the former Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, left the Peoples Democratic Party two weeks ago to join the All Progressives Congress.

 

Marketers of refined petroleum products say petrol and diesel prices may drop as crude oil prices slump again.

 

However, the marketers who spoke with our correspondent, said the drop may not be immediate, saying it has to do with the stability of the new low prices.

 

Our correspondent reports that crude prices tumbled below $60 per barrel over the weekend. The prices hovered around $65 as of Friday.

 

However, on Monday, the benchmark Brent was trading at $59.80 per barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate traded around $56.71 a barrel, according to oilprice.com

Nigeria’s Brass River and Qua Iboe stood at $64.60 per barrel. The prices were over $10 below the proposed $75 in the 2025 budget revenue projection. This has also triggered fears about the feasibility of the 2025 budget.

 

As the fall in crude prices impacts the Federal Government’s revenue negatively, Nigerians are hopeful that this may translate to cheaper fuel at the pumps. Crude oil prices and the foreign exchange rate are the major determinants of refined product prices.

 

Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, marketers said the prices of petroleum products may come down, but not immediately.

 

The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said oil speculators will look at the cause of the price crash and how stable it will be.

 

“The price of petrol may come down, but it might not be soon. Oil speculators will look at the stability first and the factors that brought the price down. So, if the factors are natural, they will not look at bringing down the price. If it is an artificial factor that can definitely be ratified, they will also leave it and watch.

 

“So, I think for now, to enjoy stability, they will look at it and leave it this way. Maybe by the next two weeks, if it continues like this, there will be a reduction in refined petroleum products,” Ukadike stated.

Similarly, the President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, explained that some refineries had bought crude before the prices went down.

 

“Some of these things are the input values that should be able to create a low and high, but it doesn’t take just that same speed to impact the system because there’s always crude feed that has been there before, either it’s a higher price or a lower price.

 

“But if it’s a lower price, sometimes it’s easy to think it’s better to increase the price now so that you can have money to buy more crude. But the projection will always be that once there is a price fluctuation, it will naturally affect the input cost, and therefore also affect the output prices that will be sold from the retail outlets. So, we should expect such a response.

 

“But it will not be as fast as Nigeria expects it to be. There are still processes that it will go through,” Gillis-Harry stated.

According to Reuters, oil prices fell by more than $1 a barrel on Monday after OPEC+ decided to accelerate its output hikes, causing concerns about more supply coming into a market clouded by an uncertain demand outlook.

 

The contracts opened on Monday at their lowest levels since April 9.

 

Reuters said those moves compounded losses after Brent shed 8.3 per cent and WTI lost 7.5 per cent last week on rising supply concerns after Saudi Arabia signaled it could cope with a prolonged lower price environment.

 

That offset optimism on the demand side that US-China tariff talks could occur, Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said.

 

OPEC+ agreed on Saturday to further speed up oil production hikes for a second consecutive month, raising output in June by 411,000 barrels per day.

 

The June increase by eight participants in the OPEC+ group, which includes non-OPEC member allies like Russia, will take the total combined hikes for April, May, and June to 960,000 bpd, representing a 44 per cent unwinding of the 2.2 million bpd of various cuts agreed on since 2022, according to Reuters calculations.

 

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, says no fewer than 8,000 terrorists and bandits were neutralised across Nigeria in 2024 under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

Speaking while assessing the performance of the current government, Matawalle credited the massive security gains to the renewed operational strategies and leadership focus brought by the Tinubu administration.

 

He added that beyond the killings, over 11,600 criminals were arrested while security forces recovered more than 10,000 illegal firearms from various theatres of operation across the country.

 

This was contained in a statement on Monday by Patience Ituke on behalf of the Director, Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence.

 

Matawalle emphasised that the administration’s success in tackling terrorism and banditry among other achievements of the President would earn the President a second term in 2027.

 

The statement partly read, “Bello Matawalle lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his transformative reforms, asserting that these initiatives will pave the way for a brighter future for Nigeria and potentially secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

 

“Minister Matawalle highlighted several key achievements of President Tinubu’s administration, particularly in the areas of security and defence.

 

“He noted the successful neutralisation of over 8,000 terrorists and bandits, the arrest of 11,600 criminals, and the recovery of more than 10,000 weapons in 2024.

The establishment of the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell has significantly enhanced strategic coordination in the fight against kidnapping.”

 

He also highlighted other achievements of the Tinubu government, including the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development, which he said is already helping to reduce grain prices and boost agricultural productivity in the North.

 

“Matawalle also commended the government’s economic initiatives, particularly the creation of the Ministry of Livestock Development, which aims to harness the agricultural potential of the North, promote economic growth, and empower millions of citizens.

 

He pointed to the recent decline in grain prices across the country as evidence of the effectiveness of the government’s agricultural policies.”

 

In the area of infrastructure, he noted ongoing road construction and transportation network upgrades as key drivers of economic growth, particularly in underserved regions.

 

“Matawalle’s commendation of President Tinubu’s performance extends beyond these areas, reflecting his belief that the President’s reforms will have a lasting positive impact on the nation.

While he expressed confidence in Tinubu’s achievements, it is important to note that his projection of a second term victory in 2027 is based on the current trajectory of the administration’s performance.

 

His optimism underscores the positive influence of Tinubu’s leadership and vision on the Nigerian populace, “ the statement added.

 

A judge on Monday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to admit around 12,000 refugees into the United States, a blow to the government’s efforts to reshape America’s immigration policy.

 

The order clarifies the limits imposed by an appeals court ruling, which allowed the Trump administration to suspend the refugee admissions system, but said it must admit people already granted refugee status with travel plans to the United States.

 

The Trump administration argued at a hearing last week that it should only have to admit 160 refugees who were scheduled to travel within two weeks of an executive order in January halting the system.

 

But US District Judge Jamal Whitehead overruled the claim on Monday, saying “the government’s interpretation is, to put it mildly, ‘interpretive jiggerypokery’ of the highest order.

 

“It requires not just reading between the lines” of the appeal decision “but hallucinating new text that simply is not there,” Whitehead wrote in his order.

 

Whitehead had originally blocked Trump’s executive order halting refugee admissions, ruling in February that it likely violated the 1980 Refugee Act.

 

But his decision was overruled by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals a month later.

 

“Had the Ninth Circuit intended to impose a two-week limitation — one that would reduce the protected population from about 12,000 to 160 individuals — it would have done so explicitly,” Whitehead wrote.

“This Court will not entertain the government’s result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says,” he added.

 

The lawsuit had been brought by Jewish refugee non-profit HIAS, Christian group Church World Service, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, and a number of individuals.

 

Those nonprofits said in their February lawsuit that several people who had been about to travel, having sold all their belongings in their own country, were abruptly left in limbo by Trump’s order.

 

Refugee resettlement had been one of the few legal routes to eventual US citizenship and had been embraced by former president Joe Biden, who expanded eligibility for the program to include people affected by climate change.

 

Trump’s White House campaign was marked by vitriol about immigrants.

 

He has also pushed a vigorous program of deportations, with highly publicised military flights taking handcuffed people to countries in Latin America.

 

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has extended his heartfelt condolences to the people of Danbatta Local Government Area following a tragic motor accident that claimed the lives of five individuals on Sunday.

 

The condolence message was contained in a statement on Monday by the governor’s Spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin-Tofa.

 

The fatal accident occurred around Shantake, approximately seven kilometers from Danbatta town, as the victims were returning from Bauchi after escorting a newlywed bride to her marital home. The journey back to Kano ended in tragedy.

 

Among the deceased were members of a single extended family. Alhaji Surajo, the elder brother, lost two of his children, while his younger brother, Alhaji Salisu Dan Raino, lost three, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.

In his condolence message, the governor described the incident as “a devastating loss that has cast a shadow of grief over the entire state.”

 

He offered prayers for divine comfort and strength for the bereaved families and the Danbatta community.

 

“This tragedy has deeply touched us all. The pain of losing loved ones in such a horrific manner is unimaginable. On behalf of the government and people of Kano State, I extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to the affected families, Danbatta Local Government Chairman, and the entire people of the area,” the governor said.

 

Yusuf also assured the community of the state government’s support during this difficult period and prayed for Almighty Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest and their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

 

A 20-year-old man, Muhammad Salisu, had allegedly killed his father, Salisu Abubakar, with a machete in the Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

 

Confirming the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Dutse, the state capital on Monday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Shi’isu Adam, said the incident occurred around 10 am in Bakin Kasuwa Quarters, Sara District.

 

According to Adam, the suspect attacked his father with a machete, inflicting serious injuries on his shoulder, neck, and chest.

 

“The victim was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kudu for medical attention, but unfortunately, he was confirmed dead by the medical doctor on call,” he said.

 

The PPRO disclosed that upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Sara and his patrol team were mobilised and rushed to the scene, where the victim was evacuated to the hospital.

 

“The corpse was later released to the relatives for burial,” Adam said.

 

However, Adam confirmed that the suspect, Salisu was arrested, and the exhibit (machete) was recovered from him.

In the statement, the Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, AT Abdullahi, directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Dutse for discreet investigation.

 

“Upon completion of investigation, the suspect would be arraigned in court to face the full weight of the law.

 

“The police command is determined to ensure justice is served in this heinous crime,” the commissioner said.

 

The spokesperson, Adam further clarified that the motive behind the gruesome murder is yet to be ascertained, and the police are investigating the circumstances leading to the incident.

 

He assured the public that the investigation will be thorough and transparent, as he urges anyone with information about the incident to come forward and assist with the investigation.

 

“The suspect is currently in police custody, and the police are working to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Adam concluded.

 

President Bola Tinubu has approved the deployment of two newly appointed Federal Permanent Secretaries to key ministries.

 

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Eno Olotu, Director, Public Relations, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, on Monday in Abuja.

 

Olotu said the move aimed at enhancing governance and promoting effective service delivery.

 

According to him, the permanent secretaries were appointed following a competitive selection process and are expected to bring experience, professionalism, and innovation to their respective roles.

Listing the names of the officials and their postings, Olotu said Mr Rafiu Adeladan was deployed to the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, while Dr Mukhtar Mohammed was deployed to the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.

 

“The HCSF, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, congratulated the new appointees and urged them to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and leadership in their new assignments.

 

“She reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring efficient policy implementation across ministries,” he said.

 

NAN

 

The fallout from the defection of Wole Oke, the House of Representatives member for Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, from the Peoples Democratic Party continued on Monday, with former PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr Diran Odeyemi, threatening to initiate his recall.

 

Odeyemi’s response followed comments made by Oke during a radio interview on Rave FM, Osogbo, where the five-term lawmaker said the PDP would struggle to win future elections in the two local governments he represents.

 

Oke also claimed that appointees of Governor Ademola Adeleke from the area lacked the financial strength to prosecute elections successfully.

 

PUNCH Online reported in April that Oke dumped PDP for the All Progressives Congress and in a Sunday PUNCH story on May 4 he declared that he left the party to avoid altercation with Osun governor.

Reacting in a statement, Odeyemi challenged Oke to relinquish the mandate he won under the PDP in the 2023 general elections and recontest under a different party.

 

“We thank him. But on behalf of the PDP leaders of thought, I want to challenge him to resign his current mandate which ends in 2027 today, and ask INEC to conduct fresh election in our Federal Constituency.

 

“He should use that opportunity to test his popularity by seeking reelection on the platform of another political party,” he said.

 

Odeyemi added, “If Wole Oke fails to take up this challenge, I am telling the whole world that the voters in Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency will immediately commence his recall process.

 

“Someone unwilling to go into free and fair primaries was boasting of being so large politically. The coming months will reveal his truth worth to his new friends.”

He also referenced a claim attributed to Oke that Adeleke’s appointees in the constituency earn less than N10 million monthly and, therefore, cannot effectively fund election campaigns.

 

“It was even reported that Wole Oke boasted that all Ademola Adeleke political appointees in the two local government are not earning N10 million in a month, thus they can not come up with the required resources to prosecute election,” Odeyemi said.

 

The former PDP spokesperson further alleged that Oke had long undermined the party.

 

“As for us in PDP, especially in Oriade/Obokun, we have not lost any valuable leader. Rather, we gain more by offloading political liability dragging us back. Oke has been a mole all along in PDP by financing APC, revealing our plans to opposition camps.

 

“We remain strong and committed to returning the State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke to office next year by the grace of God,” he stated.

When contacted, Oke did not provide a direct response but instead shared two videos of ward meetings of the APC held in Ibokun, Odeyemi’s hometown, and Ilare in Obokun Local Government Area. In the videos, PDP members announced their defection to the APC.

 

In one of the videos from Ibokun, a speaker said in Yoruba, “We appreciate you for accepting us into the APC.

 

“In the elections coming in 2026 and 2027, APC will win in all LGAs in Osun and across the country,” drawing a collective “amen” from attendees.