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The panel of inquiry established by the Anambra State Government has officially verified that Mmesoma Ejikeme, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, manipulated her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
Mmesoma's original score was 249 but she altered it to 362, as confirmed by the eight-page report presented by the panel.
The report, made available by the Commissioner for Information, Sir Paul Nwosu, addressed the findings to the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.
Anambra state Governor Prof. Charles Soludo set up the eight members committee to investigate the controversy surrounding Mmesoma's UTME result and was instructed to make their findings public.
Following interviews conducted with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, officials from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School, the panel discovered evidence of manipulation.
Mmesoma had submitted a request to JAMB with a different registration number, presenting a fake UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, while her original score was 249.
The panel's report highlighted significant discrepancies in the registration number, date of birth, and centre name, among other infractions, which provided clear evidence of manipulation. Mmesoma herself confessed to tampering with the results using her mobile phone.
In addition to confirming the falsification of the UTME result, the panel recommended several actions. First, Mmesoma should immediately issue a written apology to JAMB, Anglican Girls' Secondary School, and the state government.
Furthermore, she should undergo psychological counselling and therapy to address the underlying issues that led to her misconduct.
The report acknowledged that Mmesoma was well aware of her actual score of 249. It also mentioned that she had contested the announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, claiming that her manipulated score of 362 should be recognized instead. This led to public controversy and prompted the state government to initiate the inquiry.
The panel expressed gratitude to JAMB for their cooperation and provided detailed explanations of the processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions.
The investigation revealed that Mmesoma had made multiple requests to JAMB for her results, consistently receiving the authentic score of 249.
The report emphasized the various red flags raised by JAMB officials, such as discrepancies in the date of birth, registration number, and the use of an outdated results template.
It was also discovered that the centre name used during the examination had been manipulated on Mmesoma's result sheet.
During the interactive session with the panel, Mmesoma admitted to her misconduct in the presence of her principal and the Education Secretary. She confessed to independently altering her UTME results using her mobile phone and subsequently printing the manipulated results at a cybercafé.
The panel made an effort to determine the motive behind Mmesoma's actions, but she remained silent on the matter. Both the principal of Anglican Girls Secondary School and the Education Secretary expressed shock at the revelation, as they had been deceived along with Mmesoma's immediate family and the state government.
In conclusion, the panel commended JAMB for their thorough investigation and the information provided regarding the candidate's engagement with the examination process. It is hoped that the exposure of the truth through this inquiry will rectify the prevailing sentiments, misconceptions, and deceptions circulating in the public domain.
