Education

JAMB Sets New Record with 501 Blind Candidates for 2025 UTME

Published

3 weeks ago

Apr 24, 2025.

JEOG was established by JAMB Registrar Oloyede in 2017 to oversee the smooth conduct of UTME for blind and special needs candidates.
Okebukola noted that “Lagos has the highest number of 107 with Professor Olanrewaju Adigun Fagbohun, former VC of LASU as coordinator.
He added, “The examination has been scheduled for April 28 and 29, 2025 in the eleven centres and involves 20 subjects.

In a groundbreaking development, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set a new record with 501 blind candidates registered to take the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in eleven centres nationwide.

Eko Hot Blog gathered that Peter Okebulola, Chairman of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), revealed this information while addressing the media in preparation for the 2025 UTME for blind candidates and others with special needs.

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JEOG was established by JAMB Registrar Oloyede in 2017 to oversee the smooth conduct of UTME for blind and special needs candidates.

Okebulola confirmed that the examination is scheduled to take place from April 28 to 29, 2025, across eleven centres and will cover 20 subjects.

“The candidates take the same test papers as the regular candidates and standards are not lowered in any form,” he added.

Okebulola, who is also the President of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi-Africa), described Oloyede as one of the strongest pillars of equal opportunity of access to higher education in Africa.

According to Okebukola, “As I normally review every year, in the last one week, I have conferred with members of GUNi-Africa on how blind candidates aspiring for higher education in Africa are treated in their countries and all are in agreement that Nigeria, Professor Oloyede, stands clearly out as the best.”

Speaking further, Okebukola noted that “This year, 84 blind candidates who are SSCE prima facie qualified for admission to institutions of higher learning in Nigeria (that is with at least five O-level credits) will have the cost of their UTME registration refunded on site during the examination.

He added that the other five “goodies” that Oloyede has been showering on the candidates since 2017 are- free hotel accommodation for the blind candidates and their guides, free Braille slate and stylus, customised t-shirts, free meals through the examination period and transport supplementation for the blind candidates and their guides.

“No other African country comes near offering such kind gestures”.

JAMB Sets New Record with 501 Blind Candidates for 2025 UTME

Okebukola, stated further, “this year and for the second time, JAMB, through JEOG, will implement the bimodal system of UTME administration. This involves Fully-Braille and Fully Read-Aloud. Candidates have a choice of mode.

“JEOG has been resourced by JAMB to make the experience of the two modes of test administration pleasant for the candidates. We had 348 candidates in 2022, 313 in 2023 and 529 in 2024.”

On the distribution of the candidates and the centre coordinators, many of whom are former Vice-Chancellors, Okebukola noted that “Lagos has the highest number of 107 with Professor Olanrewaju Adigun Fagbohun, former VC of LASU as coordinator.

“Kano is next with 91 candidates with Muhammad Yahuza Bello, former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University as Coordinator. Others with their Coordinators are Abuja (41)- Sunday Ododo; Ado-Ekiti (32)- Rasheed Aderinoye, former Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education; Bauchi (37)- Ibrahim Yusuf; Benin (18)- Samuel G. Odewumi former Dean, School of Transport and Logistics, LASU; Enugu (50)- Emeritus Mosto Onuoha (former DVC Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufo-Alike); Kebbi (14)- Asabe Kabir; Oyo (69)- Taoheed Adedoja, former Minister of Sports and Special Duties; Jos (28)- Nasiru Maiturare, former VC of IBB University; and Yola (16)- Muhammad Yakasai, VC, Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa.”