FINALLY: Mmesoma Confirms UTME Result Forgery, Ezekwesili Okays JAMB’s Sanctions

Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi has finally confirmed that she manipulated her result using her phone.

Mmesoma’s confirmation occurred during an investigation set up by the Anambra State Government to look into the controversy surrounding the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, result of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.

The panel which consists of professors and ICT experts released a report of the investigation stating that the 19-year-old girl forged her result unaided.

The date, time and other details of how the teenager checked her result and the responses she received from the examination body, and how she later manipulated and printed the result were also revealed in the report.

According to the report, “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 the same phone Airtel Number. According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafe (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.”

The panel, however, recommended “That Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma tenders an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the School (Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi) and the Anambra State Government.”

“This should be done immediately. EJikeme Joy Mmesoma should undergo psychological counselling and therapy.

“All prospective candidates for JAMB should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body”.

Part of the report read: “The Committee invited Ejikeme Joy 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 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,
Mmesoma was aware of her correct score from JAMB and 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, number of red-flags were 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.

Following the panel’s report, a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has supported the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in their decision to sanction Mmesoma Ejikeme on the fraud she committed regarding her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)’s result.

Recall that while the controversy over Mmesoma’s result was on with JAMB insisting that she manipulated her result changing her actual score of 249 to 362, the former education minister had insisted that a proper investigation into the matter must be carried out.

Ezekwesili in a Twitter post on Saturday, thereby, okays the Panel’s decision which gave the student a fair hearing, saying she is satisfied.

She wrote:“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 center 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,”

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