The Adhoc Committee to investigate the allegation made by JAMB will also probe the examination body’s facilities with a view to averting such incidents in future.
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The House of Representatives on Wednesday implored the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to immediately halt further action on the issue of the alleged manipulation of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result by one of its candidates, Ejikeme Mmesoma.
It also called on JAMB to lift the sanction barring the student from participating in the examination for three years, as it set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the alleged manipulation.
These resolutions sequel the adoption of a motion by Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, calling for an investigation into the alleged manipulation by Ejikeme Mmesoma of her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result issued by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
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Presenting the motion, Abiante noted that Ejikeme Mmesoma of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra State, sat for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations and scored 362.
He recalled that on 2nd July 2023, the examination body’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made a statement publicly accusing Mmesoma of manipulating her UTME results to read 362 as against 249 that she actually scored, adding that she came out to defend herself, that she actually printed the result from JAMB. The lawmaker further pointed out that the girl had been a brilliant child throughout her nursery and primary education, as reflected in her scores from previous examinations before the UTME.
“It is a fact that uploading or downloading results of examinations or polls electronically, in Nigeria, glitches can occur at any time, hence the need to establish the facts before any blame.
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.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is primarily charged with the general control of the conduct of Matriculation Examinations for admissions into Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.”
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The lawmaker noted that students who sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) are expected to log into the JAMB portal to check their results once the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board releases them.
In adopting the motion, the House equally resolved to probe JAMB facilities with a view to averting such a situation in the future, even as it called for independent examiners to examine the girl’s script to determine her actual score.
It further resolved to expand the scope of the committee to probe the issue of special centres for examinations across. The committee is expected to report back to the House in three weeks.
