Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, said on Saturday, that she’s in support of whatever punitive decision of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) against Miss Mmesomma Ejikeme, after an investigative panel found her guilty of forging the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Dr. Ezekwesili, in a statement posted on her verified twitter handle, said her decision followed the report of the panel which found Mmesomma guilty of forging UTME result and claiming that she scored 362, and should be regarded as the highest scorer.
The statement reads: “I have read the report of the Committee set up by Anambra State Government to investigate and report their independent findings on the Mmesoma and JAMB saga. I am satisfied with the process and findings of their investigation which gave Mmesoma fair hearing to enable the Committee gather all facts.
“It was necessary to have independent evidence that the result Mmesoma laid claim to publicly was not only fake but that the forgery was personally orchestrated by her.
“There are usually syndicates at the center of perpetration of examination malpractices in Nigeria but it appears not to be so in Mmesoma’s case from the facts of the Committee’s report.
“Mmesoma’s action has consequences. I therefore support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic examination malpractices within our educational system.
“I also recommend sustained counseling for Mmesoma by the family, school and church to support her as she reflects on this tragic episode and makes a decision to embrace values and rewards of effort while eschewing dishonest gain for the rest of her life.
“I do hope that the lessons of this case will help all our pupils, students, parents, guardians and the public at large renew a collective commitment to uphold examination integrity in Nigeria as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s values and reward system for our children and youth.”
She thanked JAMB for their good work and encourage the Registrar and his team to continue with their critical service to Nigeria and people, and asked them to sustain raising of awareness on exam integrity.
