Festus Keyamo, a former minister of labour and employment, has pleaded with Nigerians to be considerate towards the embattled UTME candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, who forged her result.
Keyamo described Mmesoma as a brilliant youth who probably did not know and understand the gravity of her crime before committing it.
Keyamo in a tweet on Saturday, July 8, advised her parents to encourage her to tender an apology to Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the family, and Nigerians, adding that “she should be allowed to get her admission based on her actual scores.”
However, the former minister called on citizens to recall that at one time in their growing years, they made what he calls “juvenile mistakes” that never went public.
Keyamo urged Nigerians to move on from the unfortunate chapter.
He tweeted: “I deliberately waited for the end of this investigation before commenting on this unfortunate case of our daughter, Mmesoma Ejikeme.
“She’s a brilliant girl, judging by her actual score of 249. The nation should be careful not to destroy her. What she needs is counselling, correction and guidance. She obviously did not know the weight and gravity of what she was doing. As teenagers, most of us made juvenile mistakes that never came to light.
“The parents should encourage her to do a public apology to JAMB, to her family and to Nigerians after which she should be allowed to get her admission based on her actual scores. Anyone still pushing other narratives over this issue is not helping her and her family…”
