Mmesoma Ejikeme: Nigerians demand apology from JAMB over alleged system error

By Chioma Obinagwam

Nigeria’s official entrance examination body for tertiary institutions, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has been asked to tender an apology to Mmesoma Ejikeme, a candidate who was banned from sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for three years for allegedly falsifying her UTME scores.

Confiance News gathered from X on Thursday.

In 2023, Ejikeme Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student from Anambra, Nigeria, became the center of a national controversy when the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) accused her of forging her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result, inflating her score from 249 to 362.

Confiance News gathered that Mmesoma initially denied the allegations, but after investigations, including a House of Representatives probe, she admitted to the forgery and apologized to JAMB and Nigerians.

The incident led to a three-year ban from JAMB exams and mandated psychotherapy, sparking widespread debate. Many Nigerians, particularly from the South East, felt Mmesoma was unfairly targeted, possibly due to ethnic bias, as JAMB’s handling seemed overly punitive for a teenager’s mistake.

Fast forward to May 2025, JAMB admitted to a “glitch” affecting the 2025 UTME, where nearly 80 percent of 1.9 million candidates scored too low for university admission. This revelation reignited public anger over Mmesoma’s case, with Nigerians and X users questioning JAMB’s credibility and alleging it had scapegoated her to mask systemic issues.

Posts on X demanded justice.Reacting, Johnson Anichi said: “Mmesoma was right after all, it’s wrong to say we should forgive her, rather we should beg her for forgiveness. JAMB should be scrapped.

@Crownprince_Com stated, “JAMB should apologize to Mmesoma and compensate her for the humiliation she endured from their lies to cover incompetence.”

Similarly, @Kishozzy wrote, “Replay Mmesoma’s video. She was right, JAMB was wrong. They owe her an apology and compensation.”

Mmesoma’s story became a symbol of institutional failure and ethnic profiling, as @ndukaodo posted, “JAMB used DSS to silence Mmesoma when she cried, ‘There’s a problem somewhere.’ They must apologize to all Nigerians.” The public outcry highlighted a broader distrust in JAMB, with many believing Mmesoma deserved not just an apology but restitution for the trauma and stigma she endured.