The controversial “best candidate” of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme has confessed that she manipulated the result in which she was said to have scored 362 out of 400 points, according to the finding of the panel set up by the Anambra State government to investigate the matter.
According to the report of the committee, headed by Prof. Nkemdili Nnonyelu, Mmesoma “admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone”.
The report said that the committee established that the result released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) showed that Mmesoma scored 249.
Kamsiyochukwu Umeh of Deeper Life High School, Mowe, Ogun State who scored 360 is the best candidate in the examination. Kamsiyochukwu is an indigene of Anambra State.
A month ago, Mmesoma was described as the best UTME 2023 candidate with a score of 362 – English Language (98 per cent), Physics (89 per cent), Biology (94 per cent), and Chemistry (81 per cent). At that time, the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh commended the candidate’s performance, describing it as “excellent and very outstanding”.
But the state government later suspected Mmesoma’s result and JAMB insisted that it was forged. Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School (AGSS) Nnewi, Anambra State, insisted that was her result, while the examination body banned her from its examination for three years.
The committee interrogated Mmesoma, the principal of her school and JAMB officials, led by its Head Public Affairs, Dr. Fabian Benjamin. The report stated that officials of the examination body “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… in her quest to obtain her JAMB score”.
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The report further revealed: “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 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 committee recommended that Ejikeme should tender “an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the school (Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi) and the Anambra State Government. This should be done immediately”.
It also recommended that Ejikeme should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy, and that “all prospective candidates for JAMB Admission should adhere strictly to guidelines processes and procedures of the examination body”.
The committee also commended JAMB for its “diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate. 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”.
