Mr Romanus Ejikeme, father of Mmesoma Ejikeme, the candidate accused by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of manipulating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result, has come forward to defend his daughter’s innocence.
This development comes as Innocent Chukwuma, founder of Innoson Motors, who had previously offered Mmesoma a N3m scholarship, calls for a thorough investigation into the matter.
JAMB had earlier accused Mmesoma, a native of Anambra State, of manually inflating her UTME score from 249 to 362, thereby falsely claiming the title of 2023 UTME top scorer. The board has threatened to withdraw her result and prosecute her for this alleged act.
However, Mr Ejikeme has refuted JAMB’s claim, stating that his daughter lacks the capacity to manipulate her result.
He insists that Mmesoma printed her result in the same manner as other candidates and was unaware of the result until it went viral. He has called for a proper investigation into the matter.
In a video released on Monday, Mmesoma herself denied JAMB’s allegations, expressing her trauma over the situation.
She insisted that she printed her result exactly as it was presented on JAMB’s site and is incapable of forging her result.
The Principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Mrs Edum Uche, also expressed her disappointment at JAMB’s approach and insisted on Mmesoma’s innocence. She called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
In the meantime, Innocent Chukwuma has stated that the N3m scholarship awarded to Mmesoma will not be cancelled if she is found innocent at the end of the investigation.
Editorial
The controversy surrounding Mmesoma Ejikeme’s UTME result and the allegations of result manipulation levelled against her by JAMB raises serious questions about the credibility of our examination systems and the measures in place to deter and penalise academic dishonesty.
While it’s important to maintain the integrity of examination results, it’s equally crucial to ensure that the investigative and disciplinary processes are transparent and fair.
In Mmesoma’s case, for instance, it’s important to ask whether she was given a fair hearing before the allegations were made public.
Moreover, the incident highlights the need for more robust systems to prevent result falsification.
If a student could allegedly manipulate her UTME result, it suggests that there are loopholes in the system that need to be addressed.
JAMB should take this incident as a wake-up call to strengthen its systems and processes to prevent future occurrences.
Did You Know?
- JAMB was established in 1978 to standardise the admission process into Nigerian universities.
- The highest score possible in the UTME is 400.
- JAMB introduced the Computer-Based Test (CBT) system in 2015 to improve the credibility of its examinations.
- The UTME is taken by over 1.5 million candidates each year.
- JAMB also conducts the Direct Entry (DE) examination for admission into 200 and 300 levels in Nigerian universities.
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