A former minister of state for labour and productivity Festus Keyamo has advised Nigerians to forgive Ejikeme Mmesoma after the panel set up by the Anambra State government confirmed the student confirmed she forged her UTME results as alleged by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
JAMB has since banned the 19-year-old for three years for altering her result from 249 to 360 but Keyamo said rather than meting out punishment capable of destroying the girl, the system should forgive and counsel her as recommended by the Anambra panel.
Keyamo wrote on his Twitter handle that, “I deliberately waited for the end of this investigation before commenting on this unfortunate case of our daughter, Mmesoma Ejikeme.
“She’s a brilliant girl, judging by her actual score of 249. The nation should be careful not to destroy her. What she needs is counseling, correction, and guidance. She obviously did not know the weight and gravity of what she was doing. As teenagers, most of us made juvenile mistakes that never came to light.
“The parents should encourage her to do a public apology to JAMB, to her family and to Nigerians after which she should be allowed to get her admission based on her actual scores. Anyone still pushing other narratives over this issue is not helping her and her family.
“It is time to close this very unfortunate chapter and move on. This is my plea.”
