Okeke Chinedu Tops 2025 UTME as JAMB Releases List of Highest-Scoring Candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially released the list of the top ten candidates with the highest scores in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), revealing outstanding individual performances and a continued dominance of engineering-related programmes among top applicants.

According to the breakdown published by JAMB, Okeke Chinedu Christian, a male candidate from Anambra State, emerged as the best-performing candidate nationwide, scoring 375 out of a possible 400 points. He selected the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as his first-choice institution and applied to study Mechanical Engineering.

Closely following him is Ayuba Simon-Peter John from Gombe State, who scored 374 and applied to study Mechanical Engineering at Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado-Ekiti.

A notable feature of this year’s top scorers is the predominance of male candidates, with only one female, Olawepo Tunmise Gertrude from Kwara State, making it to the elite list. She scored 373 and selected UNILAG for a course in Computer Science.

Three other candidates — Jimoh Abdulmalik Olayinka (Kwara), Roberts Damiete Ayibo (Rivers), and Ononugbo Chibueze Chigozirim (Enugu) — all tied with scores of 373, applying to leading institutions such as the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Ibadan (UI), with specialisations in Mechanical and Electrical/Electronic Engineering.

Also on the list are:Afinotan Leslie Ofeoritse from Delta State (373, Mechanical Engineering, Covenant University),Azoyenime Samuel Chukwuemeka from Delta (372, Aerospace Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University),Oyebode Emmanuel Oluwapelumi from Ogun (372, Petroleum & Gas Engineering, UNILAG), andOmigie Cecil Osaigbovo from Edo (372, Mechanical Engineering, UI).

JAMB noted that this performance distribution reflects continued excellence in STEM-related fields among top scorers. The University of Lagos emerged as the top preferred institution, with five out of the ten highest-scoring candidates listing it as their first choice.

The high scores come amid lingering concerns about technical hitches that marred parts of the 2025 UTME cycle.

Nonetheless, the results released indicate that several candidates were still able to demonstrate academic distinction in what remains Nigeria’s most competitive tertiary entrance examination.

JAMB is expected to release full details of the 2025 admission process in the coming weeks, but stakeholders are already taking note of this year’s top scorers, whose results may influence scholarship opportunities and institutional placements.

The UTME is a prerequisite for gaining admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Each year, over 1.5 million candidates sit for the examination, competing for limited slots in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

With the bar set at 375 this year, these top performers are already being hailed as academic models and potential future innovators in the country’s critical sectors.