A group, South East Fact Check has lambasted the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, for the Board’s recent disclosure that one Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme from Anambra State forged her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.
While the candidate, who is a student of Anglican School,
Nnewi, is holding a 362 score, JAMB has declared her result fake and forged,
saying that she only scored 249.
The education body in a statement by Fabian Benjamin, the
Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, said Mmesoma forged results on the JAMB
site to manipulate the results she is currently parading, adding that the
teenager used the alleged fake results to secure a scholarship worth 3 million
naira from Innoson Motors.
But in a reaction in Umuahia, the Chairman of South East
Fact Check, Mr Barry Odinkemmere described the JAMB statement as an ‘ambush’,
saying that the young girl was not given a fair hearing before JAMB went to
press with its report.
South East Fact Check further expressed concern at the tone
applied in the statement, saying that it sounded like a premeditated plan
against the candidate.
The group noted that a thorough investigation should have
been concluded on the matter to determine who is saying the truth, as according
to the group, JAMB by its statement, had already admitted that something is
wrong with its result portal.
“How can you arrive at this conclusion without a final,
thorough and independent investigation?
“This girl, from our findings, has maintained first position
from her primary school days.
“If there is a problem of credibility on the JAMB results
portal, who should take the blame- is it not JAMB?
“Why will they crucify a poor brilliant girl on the altar of
wickedness”, Odinkemmere said.
He advised JAMB to allow a forensic investigation to be
concluded before jumping to the media.
“If at the end of the day, the result is confirmed to be
forged by the girl, then she should be prosecuted.
“But if it is discovered at the end of the day that she is
the true owner, JAMB should pay her compensation with apologies and we will go
to Court against them to enforce the rights of the poor girl,” the SEFC leader
further said.
The group vowed to mobilize a free legal team for Mmesoma if
the need arises.
The group commended Mr Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Motors
for standing with the UTME candidate, until the conclusion of independent
investigations.
The South East Fact Check challenged “the Ohaneze Ndigbo led
by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu to wade into this matter immediately, to avoid
persecution of our Ada Igbo.”