The Anambra State Government has, in response to the ongoing controversy surrounding Mmesoma Ejikeme, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra State, set up an independent committee tasked with examining the details of the case.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Ejikeme has been accused by the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) of inflating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score and falsely claiming the title of the best candidate for the exams in the state.
This newspaper learnt that the decision to establish the committee was motivated by the desire not to take sides prematurely, as it said both JAMB and Ejikeme have engaged in back-and-forth disputes regarding the matter.
The State Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu, released a statement outlining the events leading up to JAMB’s accusation against Ejikeme.
According to Nwosu, Ejikeme had initially approached the office of the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, with her UTME result, expressing her protest over JAMB’s failure to recognise her as the candidate with the highest score.
In response to her complaint, the Commissioner contacted JAMB to verify Ejikeme’s claim. However, JAMB stated that her result had been forged, sparking further investigation. Nwosu revealed that JAMB promptly alerted the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to conduct an inquiry into the matter. Regrettably, before the DSS investigation could be concluded, JAMB publicly disclosed the allegations, fueling intense debates in the media.
The statement reads in part:
“It was at this point that JAMB authorities invited the Directorate of State Services (DSS) to investigate the matter and make its findings known.
“This was yet to happen when JAMB went public with the matter, thus eliciting the raucous conversations we’ve seen in the media.
“It is not our wish to join the slanging match or take sides at this stage. But as a responsible government, we have decided to undertake an independent investigation into the matter.
“In the light of the above, Anambra State Government has set up a Committee of Inquiry to thoroughly investigate the JAMB/Mmesoma matter.”
Members of the committee are:
- Prof. Nkemdili Nnonyelu (Chairman)
- Prof. Mercy Okonkwo – member
- Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh – member
- Prof. Maduabuchi Dukor – member
- Prof. Jaja Nwanegbo – member
- Rev. Sr. Prof. Mary-Felicia Opara – member
- Rev. Cannon Dr. Uchenna Umeifekwem – member
- Mr. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (MD, Anambra Information Communication Technology Agency) – member
THIS INNOCENT YOUNG BRAIN SHOULD NOT BE DRAWN INTO AN UNECESSARY UNWARRANTED CONTROVERSY.
Is JAMB telling us that she manufactured result from their server and feasible and or possible is that?
THE JAMB STANCE IS ILLOGICAL AND INSULTING TO OUR SENSIBILITIES.