The Anambra committee responsible for investigating the controversy surrounding Joy Mmesoma has found that the UTME candidate confessed to fabricating her examination results.
In May, Mmesoma, a student from Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra state, gained attention for allegedly achieving a score of 362 in the 2023 UTME.
Despite not being officially recognised as the top candidate by JAMB, Mmesoma received widespread acclaim and celebration.
In recognition of the candidate’s achievements, Innocent Chukwuma, the founder of Innoson, granted them a scholarship valued at N3 million.
The student’s score was revised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board to 249, instead of the initially reported 362.
JAMB confirmed that she fabricated her results with the intention of deceiving the public. Consequently, a panel was assigned to investigate the issue.
The investigation conducted by the Anambra-constituted panel has determined that Mmesoma falsified the results.
The panel indicated in its findings that “the results released by the JAMB with respect to the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249.
“The 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.
“Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone.
“The Principal, Anglican Girls’ Secondary School — Mrs Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.”
The report, titled, “Report of the committee on Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB score controversy” also indicated that the candidate was well informed of her correct score of 249.
It 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.”
The panel further revealed that JAMB staff had also pointed up several additional red flags, including a different date of birth, a different registration number, and a notification of results template that had been abandoned as of 2021, among other things.
“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 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 panel applauded JAMB for their careful handling of the situation and the details provided regarding the candidate’s interface.
