…as Aina takes charge of JAMB
Reflecting on one of the most controversial moments of his tenure, the immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said he had no regrets over JAMB’s decision to impose a three-year ban on Mmesoma Ejikeme, the 2023 UTME candidate who inflated her score from 249 to 362.
He maintained that the Board acted to protect the integrity of its examination process, stressing that the disciplinary measure was intended as a deterrent rather than an act of malice.
Oloyede stated this on Friday while handing over to the new Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, at the board’s headquarters in Abuja.
Describing Mmesoma as “our daughter”, he said JAMB approached the matter with the responsibility of a parent correcting a child and expressed satisfaction that the truth eventually prevailed despite initial public scepticism.
He said, “No hard feelings. If there is any regret, it is that she did what she did because she is part of us. We did what we should do and, of course, we regret that she did what she did. Many people, unfortunately, were misdirected. But as soon as the truth was established, everybody who was supporting her accepted the truth of the matter.
“Every parent wants to believe his or her child. When you see them, you want to believe that they are too innocent to manufacture such things. So, I mostly regret that some people supported that narrative, but I am happy that at the end of the day, we have been vindicated. Of course, that does not remove the punishment she had to serve. It’s not out of wickedness, but in order to serve as a deterrent.
“Once we do not do things on the basis of hatred, and the office requires that we do certain things and we do them, there should be no regret. There should be no hard feelings. So, no regrets.”
Source: Guardian