Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, has voiced her support for the sanctions imposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Mmesoma Ejikeme for falsifying her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
This comes after the Anambra State Committee of Inquiry set up by Governor Charles Soludo confirmed that Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, manipulated her result using her phone.
Ezekwesili had previously called for a thorough investigation into the fraud allegations following JAMB’s decision to withdraw Mmesoma’s result and ban her from taking the examination for the next three years.
However, in a Twitter post on Saturday, Ezekwesili expressed her support for the sanctions, stating that she had reviewed the report of the Anambra State Committee and was satisfied with their investigation process and findings, which allowed Mmesoma a fair hearing to gather all the relevant facts.
Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Mmesoma’s result, with JAMB asserting that her score of 249 was manipulated to 362, Ezekwesili emphasized the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to establish the truth of the matter.
She expressed her contentment that the process provided Mmesoma with a fair hearing, as indicated by the Anambra State panel report, which was signed by the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu.
Below is the full statement by the former Minister titled: “Mmesoma and @JAMBHQ Saga”
“I have just read the report of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government to investigate and report their independent findings on the Mmesoma and JAMB Saga.
“I am satisfied with the process and findings of their investigation which gave Mmesoma a fair hearing to enable the Committee to gather all facts.
“It was necessary to have independent evidence that the result Mmesoma laid claim to publicly was not only fake but that the forgery was personally orchestrated by her.
“There are usually syndicates at the centre of perpetration of exam malpractices in Nigeria but it appears not to be so in Mmesoma’s case from the facts of the Committee’s report.
“Mmesoma’s action has consequences. I, therefore, support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic exam malpractices within our educational system.
“I also recommend sustained counseling for Mmesoma by the family, school, and church to support her as she reflects on this tragic episode and makes a decision to embrace values and rewards of effort while eschewing dishonest gain for the rest of her life.
“I do hope that the lessons of this case will help all our pupils, students, parents, guardians and the public at large renew a collective commitment to uphold Exam Integrity in Nigeria as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s Values and Reward System for our children and youth.
“I wish to thank JAMB for their good work and encourage the Registrar and his team to continue with their critical service to our country and people as we all join them to sustain raising of awareness on Exam Integrity.”
Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili
Former Minister of Education
