By Ayo Yusuf
The raging controversy over the JAMB score of 19 year old Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, has now been put to rest as the student finally confessed that she changed her actual score of 249 to 362 using her phone.
The student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra State, told an eight-member panel set up by the state governor, Professor Charles Soludo, to investigate the controversies surrounding her result that she deliberately altered her score herself but gave no further reasons for her actions.
In it’s report, the committee headed by Professor Nkemdili Nnonyelu, said the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has been right all along and the candidate actually forged her 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result to give herself a new score.
The Committee recommends that she immediately apologizes to the examination body and undergo psychological evaluation for her brazen lies and deception.
According to the report, a copy of which was obtained by The New Diplomat, the teenager single-handedly forged the result before approaching a cyber cafe for printing.
She had then gone ahead to contest the announcement by JAMB that Nkechiyere Umeh was the candidate with the year’s highest score of 360, by protesting to the State Government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.
This has over the weeks generated serious controversy among the general public leading the Anambra State Government to constitute a Committee of Inquiry to look into matter with the following 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; and 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 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 the convoluted process the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF had taken in her quest to obtain a new JAMB score.
JAMB revealed the different times that Mmesoma made 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 her score to be: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.
Accordingly said the examination body, the candidate actually knew her correct score but proceeded to send another 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 and she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score was 249. The examination body also showed other inconsistencies in her claims like the changes in her age and the name of her centre.
When the committee then questioned Mmesoma in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary immediately confessed that the JAMB officials gave the correct description of what transpired but said she did it all by herself using a phone with an Airtel Number. Her principal and the management of her school expressed shock at her conduct.
Christian Aburime, the chief press secretary to Governor Charles Soludo, confirmed the authenticity of the Panel’s report which is reproduced below.
COMMITTEE FINDINGS
The results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249
2 . The results paraded by Epheme Joy Mmesoma with 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
3. Mimesoma 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 Epkeme Joy Mmesoma.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That Elikeme Joy Mmesoma tenders an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (AMB), the School (Anglican Girls Secondary School, Uruagu Nnew) and the Anambra State Government. This should be done immediately.
2 Elikeme Joy Mmesoma should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy
3. All prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines, processes and procedures of the examination body.
The Committee of Inquiry commends Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate (see attached). 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.
CONCLUSION
Finally, we thank Mr. Governor for setting up this Committee, and, for the confidence reposed in the committee.
See Report below;
