The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that 501 visually impaired candidates will participate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), scheduled to take place between April 28 and 29 across designated centres in Nigeria.
Chairman of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), Prof. Emeritus Peter Okebukola, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. Established in 2017, JEOG is tasked with ensuring that the UTME is inclusive and accessible to candidates with special needs.
Prof. Okebukola noted that the special needs candidates will sit for the same test papers as their sighted peers, with no compromise on academic standards.
“The candidates take the same test papers as their sighted counterparts. Standards are not lowered in any form,” he said.
He further emphasized that the exam process mirrors the standard UTME structure to ensure fairness and equity.
Okebukola also revealed that 84 visually impaired candidates who have obtained at least five credits in their Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) will receive refunds for their UTME registration fees. The refunds will be issued at their respective examination centres.
The UTME for visually impaired candidates will be conducted at 11 centres nationwide. Lagos tops the list with 107 registered candidates and will be coordinated by Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University. Other notable figures heading various centres include:
Kano – 91 candidates (Prof. Muhammad Bello)
Abuja – 41 candidates (Prof. Sunday Ododo)
Ado-Ekiti – 32 candidates (Prof. Rasheed Aderinoye)
Most centre coordinators are seasoned administrators and former university vice-chancellors, ensuring professional oversight and academic integrity.
Highlighting the programme’s impact, Okebukola shared that about 70% of special needs candidates under JEOG—including the visually impaired and albinos—gained admission into tertiary institutions in 2024.
These candidates have been admitted into competitive courses such as law, medicine, computer science, special education, civil engineering, mass communication, and pharmacy.
Institutions that have admitted JEOG candidates include:
University of Lagos
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
University of Ibadan
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Abdulkadir Kure University, Minna
Abia State University, Uturu
Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo
Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo
Nile University, Abuja
Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
And others nationwide
In a progressive step toward inclusivity, JAMB announced in February 2025 that Foreign, Blind, Deaf, and Prison Inmate candidates would be exempted from institutional pre-admission screening tests.
This move is part of broader reforms to ensure equal access to education and reduce barriers faced by special needs and marginalised candidates.
According to JAMB, institutions will now admit these candidates based solely on meeting the minimum UTME requirements, and the Board will annually provide a list of eligible special needs candidates to guide institutions.
The Board pledged to monitor the academic performance of admitted candidates, ensuring continued support throughout their education journey.
