A 16-year-old student from Lagos, Oyindamola Apampa, has achieved an impressive Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score of 351 after an initial technical glitch mistakenly recorded her score as 158.
The corrected score has brought widespread attention to her academic excellence and raised fresh concerns about the reliability of examination processing systems in Nigeria.
Apampa, a student of Princeton College in Surulere, Lagos, sat for the 2024 UTME conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Following the examination, she was shocked to receive a notification indicating a score of 158—far below her expectations and inconsistent with her academic performance during preparation.
According to her family and school officials, Oyindamola had consistently scored well in practice tests and internal assessments, making the initial result particularly surprising. Concerned by the discrepancy, her parents immediately filed a formal complaint with JAMB and requested a review of her result.
After an internal investigation by JAMB, it was confirmed that a technical error had occurred during the processing of her results. Upon correction, her actual score was updated to 351, placing her among the highest scorers in the country for the 2024 UTME. The breakdown of her corrected scores reportedly includes 96 in Mathematics, 95 in Physics, 89 in Chemistry, and 71 in English Language.
Oyindamola’s case has been widely shared on social media and education forums, sparking both celebration of her academic performance and criticism of JAMB’s result management system. Many Nigerians expressed concern over how such an error could have gone unnoticed without the intervention of her parents and school.
In response to public inquiries, JAMB officials acknowledged the error and stated that result verification and correction mechanisms are in place to address such rare occurrences. They advised other candidates who suspect discrepancies in their results to report them through the official complaint channels for proper investigation and resolution.
Oyindamola, in a statement through her family, expressed relief and gratitude that the mistake was rectified. She thanked her parents, teachers, and school management for their support and persistence in ensuring that the issue was addressed. She also urged other students facing similar challenges to remain calm and follow the appropriate procedures.
Her school, Princeton College, also released a statement congratulating her and reaffirming their commitment to academic excellence. The school described Oyindamola as a disciplined, intelligent, and hardworking student whose performance reflects the high standards of the institution.
The incident has reignited calls for greater transparency and reliability in Nigeria’s standardized testing system. Educational stakeholders have called on JAMB to implement more robust digital safeguards to prevent future errors and protect students from the distress such mistakes can cause.
Oyindamola’s success story has become a symbol of resilience and the importance of standing up for the truth in the face of institutional errors. Her corrected UTME score of 351 significantly enhances her chances of securing admission into one of Nigeria’s top universities to pursue her chosen field of study, which is reportedly in the sciences or engineering.
As she awaits the next phase of the university admission process, Oyindamola has received praise from across the country, with many hailing her as a role model for young Nigerian students striving for academic excellence despite systemic challenges.
