UTME Result: I actually got 249, not 362, Mmesoma finally confesses

Mmesoma Joy Ejikeme has said that she realized that she scored 249 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), instead of the 362 she printed.  The 19-year-old claimed her “results notification” slip for the UTME showing a score of 362 out of 400 was printed from the JAMB results portal. However, the board had argued that she is parading a forged result on a template it discontinued in 2021, that her official score is 249. On Tuesday, JAMB insisted that her result is “patently f@ke”, saying it had withdrawn her result and consequently barred her from writing the examination for the next three years. Appearing on the show on Channels TV Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, JAMB spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, revealed its records indicated the candidate had sent a series of messages to the board’s automated telecoms system, including the results showing an aggregate of 362. However, Mmesoma, who appeared with her father Romanus on the Wednesday edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said she should not be blamed for the controversy. “It’s not my fault that I printed my result like that and they said that I forged my result. It’s not my fault. So, them banning it is not fair,” she said. Mmesoma said the only SMS she sent to JAMB was through its support system: “That’s the only SMS I sent there.” Asked if she got any feedback, she said, “They didn’t reply. If they check their JAMB Support System, they would see that I sent a text message. They didn’t reply.” On the claim that she used an Airtel line, Mmesoma replied: “Yes,” but she added it was “not through USSD code”.  “The one I checked through the USSD code is the one of 360 (sic) that I saw,” she explained further. Responding to the claim that the feedback from JAMB showed her score as 249, she agreed. “Yes,” she said. “After all said and done, I now saw that I got 249. I sent them a text message there to know what really happened — the JAMB Support System. If they go to their system, they will see it there.”

Set another test for Mmesoma, Ohaneze tells JAMB

The Youth Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to bring Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme’s alleged results falsification case to rest by testing her with another examination. Miss Ejikeme, who is a former student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi in Anambra, celebrated her emergence as the candidate with the highest score in the year 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). JAMB, in a statement on Sunday signed by its Spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, however, accused Miss Ejikeme of inflating her results to curry favour, adding that the result would be withdrawn as she would have to face prosecution. Also on Tuesday, JAMB slammed a three-year ban on Mmesoma, insisting that her score was fake and manipulated. Speaking with newsmen in Owerri, on Tuesday, the Financial Secretary of the Ohanaeze Youth Wing, Mazi Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa, called on the examination board to put the matter to rest by resetting the examination for Miss Ejikeme. Arthur-Ugwa described the situation as `embarrassing’ to the candidate, JAMB, and Nigeria in general and called on the Board to immediately clear its image and that of the nation. He added that the allegation would come with negative psychological and emotional effects on Mmesoma. Arthu-Ugwa called on the body to “desist from causing harm” in any form or by any means on an innocent youth who had yet to be pronounced guilty by the results of ongoing investigations into the matter. “Only another examination supervised by independent observers will bring this matter to rest and we will avail ourselves to be part of the supervision if need be,” he said. According to him, the Board had never complained of any attempt to manipulate its website, hence the need for the board not to preempt investigations. “Only a few years back, JAMB told us how a snake swallowed a huge sum of money in one of its offices; today we are being told that the results of an examination that should admit students into our hallowed tertiary institutions can no longer be trusted for what they are. “JAMB must, as a matter of national importance, realise the seriousness of its role in society and stop being in the news for the wrong reasons. “If its management can no longer hold forth, then let the Federal Government overhaul the entire board and save our country and her people from needless embarrassment,’’ he said. Miss Ejikeme has denied the allegations, insisting that she scored a total of 362 marks in the examination as against JAMB’s 249, dding that she printed the result from the board’s portal.