Erstwhile Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, has submitted that the Mmesoma Ejikeme episode should be a warning to potential Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) cheats, stating that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is several jumps ahead of them.

Okebukola, who described the incident as unfortunate, observed that many people are unaware of the thoroughness of the examinations body’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in promoting integrity of tests conducted by the board.
Okebukola, who is the immediate Chairman, Governing Board of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), made his observation in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.

He said: “Prof. Oloyede and his able team at JAMB are jumps ahead of such unscrupulous persons.”

The ex-ES called charged other educational institutions and examination bodies to adopt the Oloyede model and techniques of stamping out examination malpractice in schools and examinations nationwide.

The statement reads in part: “The findings from my usually-reliable sources confirm that there is hanky-panky with the results which Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma claimed to have obtained in the 2023 UTME. I think many people are unaware of the thoroughness of Prof. Is-haq Oloyede in promoting the integrity of JAMB-conducted examinations.

He loves all candidates and will stop at nothing to ensure that unadulterated results are published, and duly qualified candidates are admitted into our tertiary institutions based on existing vacancies. “On the other hand, he will also stop at nothing to penalise any centre or candidate, whose integrity will tarnish the image of JAMB.

“I urge all our educational institutions and examination bodies to adopt/adapt the Oloyede model and techniques of stamping out examination malpractice in our schools and public examinations.

“You cannot get away with bad practice with Prof. Oloyede, who is globally acclaimed as a leading light in higher education in Africa. The indisputable facts that I have, point to my advising the candidate to subject herself to the decision of JAMB.”