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By Temitope Mustapha, Windhoek

On Jul 4, 2023

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has come forward with evidence proving that the UTME results claimed by Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesome are falsified.

The board has discovered that Miss Ejikeme’s scores were manipulated with the help of collaborators who utilized special features to change her result.

JAMB alleges that only Miss Ejikeme is aware of these features.

The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this information to Voice of Nigeria Education Correspondent in Windhoek, Namibia while addressing the issue of fake JAMB high scorers, specifically the case of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma and Dr Innocent Chukwuma.

Professor Oloyede confirmed that further investigation into Ejikeme’s result falsification will expose it as a forgery, one that was carelessly executed.

The JAMB Registrar explained that the board uncovered these irregularities through improved facilities and a revised examination pattern employed in the UTME for the year 2023.

“The truth is that JAMB has concluded its investigation into Mmesoma’s score falsification matter. She was not the only one caught, but others have chosen to remain silent,” Professor Oloyede stated.

“Presently, there is an industry faking results, and unfortunately, they cannot penetrate the JAMB system. The JAMB system is foolproof, and we will prove it at any time. It is unfortunate that parents and some candidates being fooled are not aware that they are being deceived,” he added.

“There is internal evidence to show that the change in Ejikeme’s scores was done with her collaboration. There are certain features pertaining to her that only she knows, unless she shares them with someone else, her scores could not have been increased on her behalf,” Professor Oloyede explained.

The Registrar also mentioned that he had previously spoken with Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili about Ejikeme’s case, describing it as a high-level scam.

“We improved our facilities this year, so Ejikeme and her collaborators were still living in the past. I spoke with Mrs. Ezekwesili about the matter, and I told her it was a high-level scam and a careless forgery,” he said.

“Since 2021, we are no longer using some of the methods employed to change results. We used that pattern in 2021 and witnessed the consequences as many individuals were caught and appropriately dealt with,” he added.

Professor Oloyede recalled a similar incident in 2021 when an individual sued JAMB for N2 billion over a similar matter. The Human Rights Commission, Federal Character Commission, and numerous lawyers were involved, but they eventually apologized.

Three Years Ban

When asked about his stance on the three-year ban imposed on Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, Professor Oloyede declined to comment further, stating that the board would not provide any additional details on the matter.

It can be recalled that the Director of Media at JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, urged the public to scan the QR code on Ejikeme’s result slip to verify its actual owner before it was tampered with.

“It is important to note that the QR code contains the UTME result of each candidate. Hence, what is on the result sheet is simply an interpretation of the information on this QR code,” he said.

The statement further urged the public to consider the fact that, out of all the candidates who sat for the 2023 UTME, only Ms. Ejikeme Mmesoma possesses an obsolete ‘Notification of Result.’

It should be noted that JAMB stopped issuing Notification of Result slips after the 2021 UTME.

Despite this revelation, JAMB has barred Ms. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma from taking any further examinations conducted by the board for the next three years.

Confidence Okwuchi