The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has listed the official top scoring candidates in the 2018 edition of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
It said that this became necessary when it noticed that various names were being circulated on the social media.
According to the JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, the highest scorer in the 2018 UTME is Galadima Zakari. EduCeleb.com gathered that the candidate sat for the exam in Ogun State.
Mr Zakari, who hails from Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria, emerged top with a 364 score of the total 400 marks obtainable.
Second on the list is Adekunle Jesufemi from Ogun State to the with a 358 score, and Alikah Oseghale from Edo State is third with a 357 score.
Mr Benjamin added that Ogun State-born Ademola Adeola came fourth with 355. He sat for the examination in Lagos State.
However, the fifth position was shared among three candidates who got 354. They are Akinyemi Paul from Ogun State, who wrote his examination in Lagos, Terhemba Moses from Benue State, who wrote the examination in Makurdi and Obi-Obuoha Abiamamela from Rivers State, who wrote the examination in Port Harcourt.
Dr Benjamin urged members of the public to endeavour to get their facts right from appropriate authorities for accuracy.
In his words, “This release of candidates’ scores is imperative to ensure that the public is not misled by unverified reports .
“Israel Galadima from Borno State came first with 364 score while Adekunle Jesufemi from Ogun State scored 358 ; the third position is Alikah Oseghale from Edo State, who sat for the examination in Ekpoma and scored 357 . This is to put the records in perspective. ”
He, also advised individuals and organizations who want to use JAMB’s data for research purposes to always contact the exam body for up to date information.
“Our doors are always open to any request especially when the nation would be the ultimate beneficiary.
“The Board appeals to all interested individuals and organisations who want to use its data for research, reportage and other national necessary disposition to always contact it for accurate and up to date information so as not to misdirect the public into taking wrong and misleading conclusions,” he said.
Irrespective of individual candidates’ UTME scores, they still have to meet up with specific Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) requirements, among other things, to qualify for tertiary education admissions in Nigeria.
In a related development, EduCeleb.com published details of candidates’ performed in the UTME over a period of four years spanning between 2015 and 2018.
The report showed that only about 25% of candidates actually scored above 200 despite the interest of a majority of them to study highly competitive courses that require more than that.
