The panel of inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government has confirmed that Mmesoma Ejikeme manipulated her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result, where she actually scored 249 as against 362.
The eight-page report of the panel also recommended that Mmesoma immediately tender an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, the school (Anglican Girlsโ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi), and the state government and should undergo psychological counselling and therapy.
The eight-member panel had been set up by the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Wednesday to investigate the ongoing controversy between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and Mmesoma, whose UTME result has come under controversy, with the mandate of making its findings public.
Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, had sat for the UTME in May and came under scrutiny for parading the โhighest scoreโ of 362, which JAMB later revealed was manipulated.
The panel report, also circulating online, was addressed to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and made available by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu on Friday.
The panel said it conducted interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and other individual(s) involved in the process as well as the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School.
According to the panel, 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 which differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.
The panel indicated in its findings that โthe results released by the JAMB with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249.
โThe result paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with an 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.
โEjikeme Joy Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.
The Principal, Anglican Girlsโ Secondary School โ Mrs Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.โ
The report, titled, โReport of the committee on Ejikeme Joy Mmesomaโs JAMB score controversyโ also indicated that the candidate wasย well informed of her correct score of 249.
It read in part,ย โRecallย 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 Girlsโ 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 Mmesomaโs 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.
In Ejikeme Joy Mmesomaโs 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.
โShe also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number.
โAccording to her, she proceeded to the cybercafรฉ (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.
โIn their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girlsโ Secondary School, Uruagu, Nnewi, and the Education Secretary โ 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.โ
The panel commended JAMB for their diligent handling of the matter and the information supplied about the interface with the candidate.
โWe 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.