VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update

House of Representatives, Wednesday, urged the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to lift the three-year ban on Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma, a candidate of the 2023 Unified Tartary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for alleged manipulation of her result.

The House at the plenary also set up an ad hoc committee chaired by Sada Soli to investigate the allegations of manipulations and falsification of result.

The House also resolved to probe JAMB facilities with a view to averting an occurrence of such situation in the future.

It also called for independent examiners to examine the candidate’s script to determine her actual score in the UTME just as the committee will also look into the issue of special centres for examinations in the country.

Consequently, the House asked JAMB to halt further action on the issue pending the conclusion and outcome of the investigation.

The resolutions came on the heels of a motion captioned “Call to Investigate Alleged Manipulation of Unified Tartary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (JAMB) by Miss Ejikeme”, presented at the plenary by Hon. Awaji-Inombek D. Abiante.

Presenting the motion, Abiante noted that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was primarily charged with the general control of the conduct of Matriculation Examinations for admissions into Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria, calling for investigation.

He said: “Graduating Secondary School leavers and others with prerequisite WAEC, NECO and other qualifying results apply to sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
every year to gain admission into Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

“Students who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) are expected to log into the JAMB portal to check their results once released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board.

“Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi,
Anambra State sat for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations and scored 362.

On 2 July, 2023 JAMB, Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr. Fabian Benjamin made a public pronouncement accusing Miss Ejikeme Mmesoma of manipulating her UTME results that she actually scored 249 instead of the 362 as claimed.

“Miss. Ejikeme Mmesoma came out to defend herself, that she actually printed the result from the JAMB Buncharitable and had been a brilliant child all through her Nursery and Tertiary education, coming first in all the Examinations she has been taken before the UTME, hence she posited that she is not capable of manipulating her UTME
result.

“The fact that uploading or downloading result of examinations or polls electronically, in Nigeria, glitches can occur at any time, hence the need to establish the facts before any blames;

Worried that Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB Head of Public Affairs and Protocol alleged that some of the 2023 UTME Candidates are parading fake scores in order to get undue advantage from the public, hence the need to investigate the allegation”.

Contributing to the motion, Hon. Iduma Igariwey from Ebonyi State said that the probe will reveal the true situation.

“There should be an investigation. If the young lady was manipulated, the investigation will reveal that. If JAMB had a structural issue, the investigation will reveal that so that this thing does not continue to happen again”, he said.

Similarly, Hon. Tanko Sununu from Kebbi State said that “If we don’t know the security of the result that is going to be issue, then, it’s a serious issue.”

On his part, Hon. Ademorin Kuye from Lagos State warned innocence of the candidate must be presumed until investigation was concluded.

“I want to sound a note of warning concerning our comments on this floor. As parliamentarians with powers to investigate all agencies of govt, we must presume innocence on the part of the girl. We must presume or assume that JAMB has acted pursuant to the law establishing them and then the adhoc committee will look into all the facts and then come up with a decision. I am in support of the motion”, he said.

Similarly, Hon. Ugonna Ozuruigbo from Imo State lambasted JAMB for the issued.

“I was privy to watch a video where a lady was demonstrating how to manipulate JAMB website…JAMB is reduced to a point where they will be dragging the authenticity of their own result with a student”, he said.

The House while adopting the motion gave the committee 3 weeks for conclude and report back to the House for further legislative action.