An investigation into the dispute surrounding a student’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE) results from the state of Anambra has been requested by Governor Charles Soludo.
Ejikeme Mmesoma, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra State, was exposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for allegedly inflating her score and declaring herself the top candidate for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
She received a N3 million scholarship for her “exploit” from Innocent Chukwuma, the founder of Innoson Motors.
Mmesoma declared herself to be the nation’s top candidate after revealing that she received a score of 362 in this year’s UTME.
She was also going to receive recognition from the Anambra state government for purportedly winning the competition.
However, JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the student actually achieved a 249 on the test.
Benjamin stated that her grade will be retracted and the student would be prosecuted.
Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the commissioner for education in Anambra State, said in a statement on Monday that a panel of inquiry had been set up by the state government to look into the commotion.
“A panel of inquiry has been set up to work with security agents to investigate the allegation of falsification of result levelled against Mmesoma Ejikeme, who had earlier been showcased in the social media as having scored the highest.”
The commissioner called the girl’s exam situation unpleasant, “especially coming at a time Governor Chukwuma Soludo is repositioning the education sector in Anambra State.”
She did, however, praise Nkechinyere Umeh, who JAMB had deemed to be the national top scorer in the UTME of 2023 with a total score of 360.
Ejikeme Mmesoma, who was charged with fabricating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE) score, has now spoken out.
The student claimed to have printed her score from the JAMB portal when she spoke on Monday, adding that she was unable to forge her score.
She claimed to have excelled in school her entire life and to have won first place while she was in primary school.
Mmesoma claimed that she was informed that the inquiry was ongoing and that she had been invited to the police station where her statement had been obtained.
She added that “there must be problem somewhere” after feeling scared by the event.
