LAGOS, Nigeria – A bewildering turn of events unfolded on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, in the simmering dispute over the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, examination results of Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme, the candidate who previously proclaimed to have achieved the highest score of 362 in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
Ms Ejikeme, whose claims attracted both accolades and scrutiny, recanted her previous score on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The young examinee acknowledged that her actual score was 249, but contended that the mix-up was not of her making.
“After all was said and done, I now saw that I got 249. I sent them a text message there to know what really happened — the JAMB Support System. If they go to their system, they will see it there,” she stated. “It’s not my fault that I printed my result like that, and they said that I forged my result. It’s not my fault. So, them banning it is not fair,” she added.
As the controversy heightened, Mr Osita Chidoka, the proprietor of the Computer-Based Test, CBT, centre where Ms Ejikeme sat for her examination, issued a statement highlighting discrepancies in the disputed result.
Chidoka pointed out that the center’s name on the contentious result slip was obsolete, having been updated in 2021.
“Our centre is no longer addressed as Thomas Chidoka Center for Human Development on the JAMB portal since 2021. The correct name on the JAMB portal and Main Examination Slip is Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Center for Human Development),” he elucidated.
Furthermore, Chidoka stated that the format of Ms. Ejikeme’s result slip was unlike any other, lacking standard elements such as the candidate’s photograph, JAMB watermarks, and the accurate name of the examination center.
“I gave the young Mmesoma the benefit of the doubt and waited to see if she would explain how she got the result, which is obviously not the result template that JAMB used in 2023. I knew it was fake,” Chidoka mentioned.
He also expressed his disappointment at the erosion of trust in national institutions and urged Ms. Ejikeme to clarify how she came upon the controversial result openly.
“Mmesoma should come clean and explain how she got that result and who led her down that path. If she does that, I will lend my voice to beg JAMB to note her age and show more leniency,” Chidoka asserted.
The case, which has seized national attention, highlights a deeper issue of trust and confidence in Nigeria’s educational system.
With an increasing number of Nigerians questioning the integrity of national examinations and institutions, the resolution of this case could have wider implications for the educational landscape.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and other stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation as it evolves.
