Tobias Sylvester
Anambra State Government has confirmed that Mmesoma Ejikeme manipulated her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
KanyiDaily recalls that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had accused Ejikeme Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra State, of inflating her result and announcing herself as the top scorer for the 2023 UTME.
JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said the 16-year-old student, who was widely celebrated for scoring the highest mark of 362 in the UTME, scored 249 in the just-concluded exam.
Benjamin claimed that the pupil tampered with the original result to seek favour from the Nigerian public, noting that the result would be withdrawn while Mmesoma would face prosecution.
Reacting to the allegations in a video, Mmesoma Ejikeme expressed surprise that a result she printed out from the JAMB portal could be termed by the examination board as fake.
The 16-year-old student, who lamented that she was traumatized, vehemently denied the allegation made against her by JAMB, saying she is not capable of manipulating her own result.
“Mmesoma Ejikeme Forged Her JAMB Result Unaided”
The eight-memner panel set up by Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo to investigate the controversies surrounding Mmesoma’s results submitted its report on Saturday.
Headed by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor, the committee confirmed Miss Mmesoma forged the score of 362 as earlier claimed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
According to the report, the candidate confirmed she single-handedly forged the result before approaching a cyber cafe for printing.
The panel consisting of professors and ICT experts recommended: “Mr. Governor, REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EJIKEME JOY MMESOMA’S JAMB SCORE CONTROVERSY
“Recall Mr. Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19 year old student of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the State Government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.
“This has elicited interests and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the State Government in its wisdom decided to constitute a Committee of Inquiry to look into the underlisted terms of reference;
“Review Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB Results and associated documents Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Elikeme Joy Mmesoma, JAMB Officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.
“The Committee invited Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for interactive session with the Committee. JAMB officials led by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Head Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.
“JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidate’s UTME Results to wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249. JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score from JAMB. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81.
“The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.
“Besides, a number of red-flags was also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others.
“It was also evident that even the centre name “Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.
“In Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired. She also admitted to have given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using same phone Airtel Number.
“According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafé (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.
“The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said NOTHING. In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls’ Secondary school, Uruagu Nnewi, and the Education Secretary-Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the State Government.
COMMITTEE’S FINDINGS
“The results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249
“The results paraded by Epheme Joy Mmesoma with aggregate score of 362 is fake as buttressed by the very significant and instructive variations In the registration number, date of birth centre name and other Infractions to Mimesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.
“The Principal Anglican Girls’ Secondary School-Mrs. Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Epkeme Jay Mmesoma.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That Elikeme Joy Mmesoma tenders an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (AMB), the School (Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnew) and the Anambra State Government. This should be done immediately.
2 Elikeme Joy Mmesoma should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy
3. All prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body.
The Committee of Inquiry commends Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate (see attached). We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain.
CONCLUSION
Finally, we thank Mr. Governor for setting up this Committee, and, for the confidence reposed in the committee.
KanyiDaily recalls that JAMB said it had withdrawn Ejikeme Mmesoma’s 2023 UTME result and also barred her from sitting the Board’s examination for the next three years.
