A former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has called on Mmesoma Ejikeme, a candidate who sat for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organised by JAMB, to reveal the origin of her result.
Chidoka, who is the owner of the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) Centre where Mmesoma took her exam, stated that he would appeal to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for leniency if the candidate provides an honest account of how she obtained her result.
In a statement on Wednesday, the ex-minister said, “For Nmesoma, she 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.”
Despite Mmesoma’s claim that she scored 362, JAMB insisted that her actual score was 249.
Mmesoma’s Defence
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Wednesday, Mmesoma defended herself against the controversy, stating, “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.”
The House of Representatives has reacted to the situation. They criticized JAMB for unprofessional conduct. The HOR has called the 19 year old Mmesoma a minor and claims that the exams body should have not withdrawn her result or impose a three-year ban on her. The House subsequently established an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter. They also requested that JAMB refrain from taking further action until the investigation is concluded.
Osita Chidoka’s Take
In his statement, Chidoka highlighted two concerning aspects he noticed when he saw the candidate’s result online. “First, our center 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)… Her result showing Thomas Chidoka without the Nkemefuna Foundation, which was on her Main Examination slip, raised my suspicion about the genuineness of the result.”
“The second red flag was the result template. A cursory review of some of those who took the last examination at our center showed a different result slip template with the candidate’s passport picture, JAMB watermarks, and no mention of the name of the examination center. I gave the young Nmesoma 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 emphasized that his center has been involved with JAMB CBT examinations since 2016.
Chidoka praised JAMB for vigorously defending its integrity and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to follow suit by explaining the “technical glitch” the commission experienced during the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
