Ezekwesili hails JAMB’s sanctions on Mmesoma for UTME result fraud

Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, has voiced her support for the sanctions imposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Mmesoma Ejikeme for falsifying her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result. This comes after the Anambra State Committee of Inquiry set up by Governor Charles Soludo confirmed that Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, manipulated her result using her phone. Ezekwesili had previously called for a thorough investigation into the fraud allegations following JAMB’s decision to withdraw Mmesoma’s result and ban her from taking the examination for the next three years. However, in a Twitter post on Saturday, Ezekwesili expressed her support for the sanctions, stating that she had reviewed the report of the Anambra State Committee and was satisfied with their investigation process and findings, which allowed Mmesoma a fair hearing to gather all the relevant facts. Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Mmesoma’s result, with JAMB asserting that her score of 249 was manipulated to 362, Ezekwesili emphasized the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to establish the truth of the matter. She expressed her contentment that the process provided Mmesoma with a fair hearing, as indicated by the Anambra State panel report, which was signed by the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu. Below is the full statement by the former Minister titled: “Mmesoma and @JAMBHQ Saga” “I have just read the report of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government to investigate and report their independent findings on the Mmesoma and JAMB Saga. “I am satisfied with the process and findings of their investigation which gave Mmesoma a fair hearing to enable the Committee to gather all facts. “It was necessary to have independent evidence that the result Mmesoma laid claim to publicly was not only fake but that the forgery was personally orchestrated by her. “There are usually syndicates at the centre of perpetration of exam malpractices in Nigeria but it appears not to be so in Mmesoma’s case from the facts of the Committee’s report. “Mmesoma’s action has consequences. I, therefore, support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic exam malpractices within our educational system. “I also recommend sustained counseling for Mmesoma by the family, school, and church to support her as she reflects on this tragic episode and makes a decision to embrace values and rewards of effort while eschewing dishonest gain for the rest of her life. “I do hope that the lessons of this case will help all our pupils, students, parents, guardians and the public at large renew a collective commitment to uphold Exam Integrity in Nigeria as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s Values and Reward System for our children and youth. “I wish to thank JAMB for their good work and encourage the Registrar and his team to continue with their critical service to our country and people as we all join them to sustain raising of awareness on Exam Integrity.”  Obiageli “Oby” EzekwesiliFormer Minister of Education

Mmesoma used her phone to forge JAMB result– Committee Report

*Recommends psychiatric evaluation for her; Apologise to JAMB, School, Anambra State Government More revelations have come to light concerning the result authenticity tussle between the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) and Mmesoma Ejikeme, a candidate that sat for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME). Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo had set up a committee to investigate the alleged falsification of results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination by Mmesoma Ejikeme, who last Wednesday confessed on television that the result she paraded (362) was actually not hers but she took advantage of a glitch in the system to claim it. The panel, in a report addressed to the Governor, said that it reviewed Mmesoma ‘s JAMB results and conducted interviews with relevant parties, including JAMB officials and other individuals involved. The report stated that JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head, Public Affairs, presented what specifically transpired between the candidate, Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score. It said that Mmesoma, who hails from Anambra state, admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the state government. “The finding of the committee are that the results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249. “The results paraded by Mmesoma with an aggregate score of 362 is fake as buttressed by the very instructive variations in the registration number, date of birth, centre name and other infractions. ‘”Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone and proceeded to the cybercafé, Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu in Nnewi where she printed the results she had manipulated,” it said. The report recommended that Mmesoma should immediately tender an unreserved written apology to JAMB, the Anglican Girls’ Secondary school, and the Anambra State Government. It also recommended that Mmesoma should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy. “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. “All prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body,” the report stated. The report was signed by Prof. Nkemdili Nnonyelu and six others. See the full Report below: 7th July 2023 Prof. C.C Soludo, Governor, Anambra State. 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 off 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