Three years after one of Nigeria’s most controversial examination scandals, the three-year ban imposed on Anambra student Ejikeme Mmesoma, by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board is due to expire this July, making her eligible once again to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Mmesoma became the centre of national attention in July 2023 after she claimed to have scored 362 in the UTME, a result that would have ranked her among the country’s highest-performing candidates.

The claim initially drew public sympathy after she accused JAMB of failing to recognise her achievement. However, the controversy quickly escalated after the examination body declared the result she presented fake.

JAMB insisted that Mmesoma’s authentic score was 249 and alleged that she manipulated her result using her mobile phone before printing a forged copy at a cybercafé.

The board pointed to several discrepancies, including differences in her registration number, date of birth, examination centre and the format of the result slip, noting that the notification template she used had been discontinued since 2021.

While Mmesoma initially maintained that she printed the result directly from JAMB’s portal and denied any wrongdoing, the Anambra State Government constituted an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the dispute.

The panel, chaired by Prof. Nkemdili Nnonyelu, interviewed JAMB officials, Mmesoma, her school authorities and other relevant parties before submitting its findings.

In its report released on July 8, 2023, the panel confirmed that Mmesoma’s actual UTME score was 249 and that the 362 score she presented was manipulated.

According to the panel, Mmesoma admitted during the proceedings that she personally altered the result using her Airtel mobile phone before taking it to a cybercafé for printing.

The report stated that she acted alone and apologised to JAMB, the Anambra State Government and her school over the incident.

Following the findings, JAMB withdrew the forged result and announced a three-year ban preventing her from participating in any of its examinations.

The board said the sanction was in line with its established procedures for examination malpractice and result falsification.

“In the meantime, the management of the Board, after considering the weighty infraction committed by Ms. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, and in line with its established procedures, has withdrawn her 2023 UTME result and also barred her from sitting the Board’s examination for the next three years,” JAMB spokesman Fabian Benjamin said at the time.

JAMB also maintained that its examination system had not been compromised, insisting that Mmesoma simply falsified a result slip.

The scandal had far-reaching consequences.

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing withdrew the scholarship earlier awarded to her following the announcement of the alleged outstanding score.

Her father, Romanus Ejikeme, later apologised publicly to JAMB and Nigerians, saying his daughter failed to tell him the truth on time.

“My daughter didn’t open up to me on time. When I realised the mistake she did, I blamed her a lot but I’m still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians to pardon her,” he said in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo also directed that Mmesoma undergo three months of psychotherapy and counselling.

The controversy sparked widespread national debate, attracting reactions from politicians, education stakeholders and civil society groups.

While some initially questioned JAMB’s handling of the matter, many later accepted the board’s position after Mmesoma admitted manipulating the result before the state panel.

The House of Representatives had also called on JAMB to suspend the implementation of the ban pending investigation, while former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, and former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, appealed for compassion and counselling rather than public condemnation.

With the expiration of the three-year sanction this month, Mmesoma is expected to become eligible again to register for the UTME should she decide to pursue admission into a tertiary institution.

Her case remains one of the most prominent examination fraud controversies in recent years. It is frequently cited in discussions on examination ethics, digital result verification and the consequences of academic dishonesty in Nigeria.

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The Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria has appointed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Summit University, Offa.

The Letter of Appointment was presented to the AGF during a ceremony held on Thursday at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in Abuja, according to a statement made available to PUNCH Online by the Society’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Muhammad Hassan.

The Ansar-Ud-Deen’s National President and Visitor to Summit University, Prince Adeniji Kazeem, SAN, led a delegation of the Society’s National Executive Committee to present the letter.

Members of the delegation included the Deputy National President, Dr. Ibrahim Adebayo Yusuf; Vice President (Northern States Council), Alhaji Najeem Yasin; First National Assistant Secretary, Dr. Sheu Luqman Sambo; Vice-Chancellor of Summit University, Prof Musa Aibinu; Missioner of the Society’s Abuja Branch, Prof Musa Olaofe; and Chairman of the Abuja Branch, Alhaji Kabiru Olaiyiwola.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Society’s national president described the appointment as the outcome of a transparent and merit-based selection process.

He said, “The National Executive Council unanimously approved Fagbemi’s appointment in recognition of his distinguished legal career, exemplary public service, integrity, and unwavering commitment to the ideals and educational vision of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria.

“The Society is confident that Prince Fagbemi’s wealth of experience and exceptional leadership qualities will provide strategic direction for the University’s Governing Council and further strengthen Summit University’s commitment to academic excellence, sound governance, research, innovation, and character development.”

He also commended the AGF for his longstanding support for the programmes and institutions of the Society, particularly his contributions to the growth of the Ansar-Ud-Deen in Kwara State and his commitment to educational development across Nigeria.

Receiving the appointment letter, Fagbemi expressed profound appreciation to the leadership of the Society for the confidence reposed in him.

He pledged to discharge the responsibilities of his office with diligence, integrity, and dedication.

The AGF assured members of the Society that he would work closely with the Governing Council, University Management, and other stakeholders to advance the strategic vision of Summit university.

Established by the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society, Summit University, Offa, has continued to expand its profile as one of Nigeria’s leading faith-based universities, promoting academic excellence, moral discipline, innovation, and service to humanity.

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The National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have approved the enforcement of admission quotas for engineering and technology programmes in Nigerian universities to improve the quality of engineering education and practical training.

The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, announced the approval on Tuesday during a media briefing ahead of the council’s 34th Engineering Assembly in Abuja.

Abubakar said the approval would ensure universities admit only the number of students their infrastructure, laboratories, workshops, equipment and academic staff can adequately support.

He said, “I am happy to inform the nation that we have finally gotten the approval and endorsement of both the National Universities Commission and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to enforce admission quotas in all engineering and technology programmes run by Nigerian universities.

“What this means is that the engineering profession has now come to the level of the medical profession, the legal profession, the pharmaceutical profession and similar disciplines where admissions are carefully regulated to ensure quality.

“We are trying to ensure there is a quality training regime at the university level so that we produce competent graduates with stronger hands-on competencies who will not only practise successfully in Nigeria but compete favourably anywhere in the world.”

He described the development as the culmination of decades of advocacy by the engineering profession, noting that unrestricted admissions had overstretched facilities and weakened practical training in many institutions.

“This is going to be a game changer for our country and for the workforce Nigeria is likely going to export globally. Engineering is becoming increasingly global, and our graduates must possess the practical competence required to compete internationally,” he said.

According to him, the council is also working with the National Board for Technical Education to introduce similar admission controls for engineering programmes in polytechnics.

Abubakar disclosed that COREN had reintroduced the indexing and oath-taking of engineering graduates, as well as the mandatory one-year Engineering Residency Programme for degree and Higher National Diploma holders before proceeding for the National Youth Service Corps.

He said the residency programme was designed to provide graduates with structured industrial exposure before they begin their professional careers.

The COREN president also announced that the council had trained and certified 239 engineering infrastructure failure and forensic investigators to investigate engineering failures, including building collapses, bridge failures and industrial accidents.

He added that 839 engineering programme evaluators drawn from academia and industry had also been trained to strengthen accreditation and quality assurance in universities and polytechnics.

Abubakar said the council had intensified compliance inspections nationwide, expanded its regional offices, digitised its registration process and reactivated its disciplinary tribunal as part of efforts to strengthen engineering regulation.

He warned that engineering failures often stem from non-compliance with professional standards.

“We now have a critical mass of engineering infrastructure failure and forensic investigators in Nigeria who are ready to commence this important regulatory assignment.

“The objective is to determine scientifically what went wrong whenever engineering infrastructure fails, identify those responsible and recommend measures that will prevent future occurrences,” he stated.

The COREN president said this year’s Engineering Assembly, themed “Advancing Public Safety in Nigeria Through Strategic Engineering Regulation, Enforcement and Tiered Sanctioning Regime,” would focus on strengthening engineering governance and reducing infrastructure failures across the country.

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