By Kamsi Anayo
Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state, has set up an 8-man committee to investigate the ongoing result saga between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and its candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme.
The committee is headed by Prof. Nkemdili Nnonyelu.
The members are Prof. Mercy Okonkwo, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, Prof. Maduabuchi Dukor, Prof. Jaja Nwanegbo, Rev. Sr. Prof. Mary-Felicia Opara, Rev. Cannon Dr. Uchenna Umeifekwem and Mr. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu, said the committee had been mandated to thoroughly investigate the matter and is expected to relay their findings to the public.
Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra state was accused by JAMB of inflating her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.
Recall that JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, had said the student, who was widely celebrated for scoring 362 and the highest for 2023 UTME, actually scored 249 in the exam.
Benjamin had said the student tampered with the original result to curry favour.
He subsequently announced that the result would be withdrawn while Mmesoma would face prosecution and banned for three years.
But Mmesoma on Monday said she printed her result from JAMB portal, adding that she was not capable of forging her own result.
She said she had always been a brilliant pupil, who had secured first position from primary school days.
Mmesoma said she was invited by the Department of State Services (DSS) where her statement was taken, and she was told that investigation was ongoing.
She said she felt traumatised by the incident, adding that, “there must be problem somewhere.”
Amidst growing anger and suspicion in the country, Channels Television interviewed the embattled candidate who confessed that she received a score of 249 from JAMB while she printed the 362 from the its portal.
