Abuja, July 6, 2023 – Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), says the saga of Ejikeme Mmesoma, an Anambra student who sat for the 2023 UTME, should serve as a deterrent to others who may want to cheat in examinations.
He said the innovations introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had shown that the Board was several steps ahead of examination cheats.
He described the incident as unfortunate, saying that many people were unaware of the thoroughness of the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede in promoting the integrity of JAMB-conducted examinations.
Okebukola, in a statement on Thursday, said the development was a confirmation that “Prof. Oloyede and his team at JAMB “are jumps ahead of such unscrupulous persons.”
“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 school and public examinations.
“You cannot get away with bad practice with Professor 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.
“Rather than flex muscles and raise unnecessary sentiments on the matter, a penitent posture which is widely broadcast with the same volume as the on-going aggressive posture has the high chance of mellowing whatever sanctions JAMB is planning to apply.
“About two weeks ago, June 24 precisely, at the 2023 policy meeting of JAMB which I had the honour of attending, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, provided case studies of the extent to which candidates and some examination centres could go in the attempt to cheat their way to high scores.
“Our jaws dropped at the meeting when we were informed that the examples are just the tip of the iceberg.
“This episode is a warning to potential UTME cheats, that Professor Oloyede and his able team at JAMB are jumps ahead of such unscrupulous persons,” he said. (GBN).
