THE Nigerian solid, liquid and gaseous media spaces have been reverberating with a cheating incident exposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in its last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) results. The matter in which a 19-year-old Mmesoma Ejikeme is the main character on the one hand, has risen to such a crescendo that some people have even composed panegyrics about it. There are various hues to the ugly matter and these were painted because of how it all started and also because of how JAMB set out with it. The colours or angles are many, but like the washing of the face, it must always end at the jaw.
There doesn’t seem to be dearth of what to sing in the raging shenanigans. Some have descended into the ethnic arena, some others have been singing the praise of JAMB as the prima donna among the government agencies when it comes to technical integrity. Mother told me that Egwu Ìkpè was one of the numerous ways through which the community cleansed itself and put the bad eggs where they belonged. It was entertainment that was headlined by allegorical singing but you wouldn’t want to be the subject of one of the numerous songs released during the event. The star song would be the one that captured not just the biggest event, but also came out as the best composed. By the way, it was revealed that the events sang about were not supposed to be public and thus, they made the best of the rumours of their day.
JAMB as a prima donna in the comity of agencies of Nigerian government has not just won the Egwu Ikpe in this Mmesoma matter, but it has also refused to listen to the other voices too. The agency has assumed the famed arrogance of lead opera singers. It has thus classed JAMB as one of the many metaphors from the Mmesoma debacle. The organisation is so confident that it is sometimes hasty to classify young Nigerians. JAMB’s UTME highest scorer in 2019, Ekene Franklin Ezeunala said in a media interview that he was surprised when he heard that he was announced as the highest scorer in that year’s UTME. Ekene’s claim shows that he was oblivious of what was coming. This was a positive but he wasn’t primed for the news and its aftermath. By the way, he was not offered admission by the University of Lagos which said his age, 15, was lower than the institution’s required minimum. It seems JAMB simply announces results when they are ready and while on it, it singles out the candidate that performed best. Thereafter, the body also awaits what follows. It should have been such that outstanding candidates in the examination are notified for their consent to make their scores public or otherwise. This is on the grounds that it was an examination and its result should be private. On the flip side are those who results have turned out like that of Mmesoma Ejikeme.
Obviously, JAMB has earned a good reputation among millions of Nigerians in the conduct of its examinations. This has, however, infused in the body a disturbing dose of arrogance. Yes, it is said that when you are super confident about the potency of your juju, you would show off with it and even hit it on your head as a proof. But JAMB should always take it easy while publicising fraud in its system. The organisation should be circumspect because cases such as this would gnaw at its burgeoning reputation as it has been noted in the Mmesoma saga. If JAMB had been some other government agency, Nigerians would have taken its narrative and explanations with a pinch of salt. That trust in what Oloyede has done as the Registrar of the examination body has influenced how Nigerians have reacted to the issue at hand.
The significance of this helpful reputation of JAMB is that other government agencies should strive to attain the height of trust JAMB under Professor Ishaq Oloyede has reached among Nigerians. The body trusts its system so much and believes that it can confidently stand by its actions on examinations. In this Mmesoma period, JAMB has also challenged those interested to an open debate on the matter. Such confidence! It even hovers on the precincts of arrogance.
Beyond the confidence of JAMB in its technical ability however, there are still gaps that require the organisation’s attention. JAMB is not perfect and it operates in the Nigerian environment in which many unwholesome things pass with ease. Fake result was the reason Mmesoma was dragged through the mud by JAMB – although it seemed like the examination body acted in self-defence. Fake result, for which the young girl’s images were splashed in the media, is also what many highly-placed Nigerians thrive on. They have bought their way through all checks and have tilted all available balances in their selfish favour. These highly-placed Nigerians have glorified malfeasance to such heights that have made younger Nigerians to declare that “school is a scam”.
While we can give JAMB some marks, can the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rise to be like JAMB in defending some of its actions? Can this body confidently stand up to its accusers, defend its actions and challenge them to take open, truthful conversations? The Nigerian electoral umpire is one of the most vilified agencies in the country and it knows this. When a singer is performing and his singing isn’t up to par, he would also know by himself. That contention propounded by Alhaji Dauda Epo Akara is a query for INEC in this circumstance. The last presidential election has literally burnt whatever tendrils of germinating trust millions of Nigerians were seeing and were trying to cultivate in the electoral body. You may not take my word for it.
When people do not trus you, you are like a pariah; you are lonely – like a reject. Only the shameless carry on on that road without self-evaluation. INEC is not alone on that lonely road. What about the electricity companies – both private and the ones still public, including the distribution companies? Are they transparent in their dealings with Nigerians enough to be equated to JAMB? It’s only in the Nigerian electricity sector that a consumer would buy equipment for the service provider and still pay for the equipment and its service whether the service was rendered or not. What about the police? Yes, the same Nigeria Police Force. Can Nigerians confidently say that police is truly their friend? What about the Immigration? The Customs? What about the civil service where governments are midwifed to life or to death?
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