According to the report of the Committee of Inquiry established by the Anambra State Government, Nmesoma Ejikeme, a 19-year-old girl involved in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation examination result controversy, was found to have forged her result.
According to the report, she falsified her UTME result by setting her score to 362 instead of her actual score of 249.
In an eight-page report from the Committee, Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, confessed to manipulating data using her mobile phone.
The difference in the outcome was made known to everyone when the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board disclosed the results of the UTME exam in May.
Mmesoma was widely celebrated by Nigerians for achieving the highest score of 362 in the examination, making her the top scorer.
Mmesoma’s goal was to win a scholarship worth N3 million, which would be awarded to the student with the highest score in UTME by Innocent Chukwuma, the Chairman of Innosun Vehicle Manufacturing.
JAMB shattered Mmesoma’s hope by denying her the title of highest scorer in the 2023 UTME. The body accused her of manipulating her results.
The organisation revealed that Mmesoma’s actual score was 249, which is different from the score of 362 that she had previously stated.
The state governor, Governor Chuwkuma Soludo, set up a committee of inquiry to investigate the allegation.
According to the report signed by Paul Nwosu, the Commissioner of Information for Anambra State, the Committee spoke with JAMB, Nmesoma, and other parties, including The Anglican Girls Secondary School, where the girl attended.
The report states that Mmesoma requested her result four times, and each time she received a text message on her mobile phone containing a score of 249 total aggregates.
The Committee observed that Mmesoma had admitted to falsifying her result in front of her principal and Education Secretary, confirming what the JAMB officials had previously stated.
As per one of the Committee’s recommendations, Mmesoma will provide a written apology to JAMB, the Anglican Girls Secondary School, and the Anambra State government.
The report read in part, “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.
“A number of red flags were also highlighted by JAMB officials showing a different date of birth, different Registration Number, and 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 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 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 Committee praised JAMB for their thorough management of the issue and the information provided about the candidate’s interaction with the system. They expressed hope that the truth discovered through their investigation will help to correct any misunderstandings or false beliefs that have been circulating among the public.
