The panel of inquiry commissioned by the Anambra State Government has confirmed that Mmesoma Ejikeme tampered with her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, claimed to have achieved the highest score of 362, a figure that was later revealed by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to be manipulated.
The eight-member panel, appointed by the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday, conducted a thorough investigation into the ongoing controversy between JAMB and Mmesoma.
Their findings, presented in an eight-page report, recommend several actions to rectify the situation.
According to the panel’s report, Mmesoma submitted a request to JAMB using a different registration number, falsely showing an aggregate score of 362. However, the standard JAMB format confirmed her actual score to be 249. Mmesoma admitted to manipulating the results herself using her phone.
The panel’s interviews with various parties involved, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials, and the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, provided further evidence to support their findings.
The report highlights the panel’s recommendations, which include Mmesoma issuing a written apology to JAMB, her school (Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi), and the state government. In addition, she should undergo psychological counselling and therapy. The panel emphasised that Mmesoma was fully aware of her true score of 249.
The report, titled “Report of the Committee on Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB Score Controversy,” was addressed to Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and made public by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu, on Friday. The panel expressed gratitude to JAMB for their cooperation during the investigation and hopes that the revelation of the truth will dispel misconceptions and correct the deception surrounding the case.
According to the panel’s findings, Mmesoma submitted a request to JAMB using a different registration number, providing a UTME result with an aggregate score of 362. This score was accompanied by subject scores of Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. However, these results deviated significantly from the standard JAMB format, which ultimately revealed her actual score of 249.
Based on their investigation, the panel concluded that JAMB’s official release for Mmesoma’s UTME score is 249.
It read in part, “The result paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with an 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.
“Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma 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 Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.”
“Recall Mr Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the 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 interest 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 under-listed terms of reference; review Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB results and associated documents.
“Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.
“The committee invited Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for an interactive session with the Committee.
“JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of 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 the 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. Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an 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.”
“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 having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the 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.”
“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.
“Finally, we thank Mr. Governor for setting up this Committee, and, for the confidence reposed in the committee.”
