Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, said she has adopted Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, the embattled 19-year-old girl who reportedly forged her 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result to emerge the highest, as her daughter.
The Commissioner made the announcement while speaking with Journalists shortly after receiving “African Jewel of Human Capital and Educational Excellence award presented to her by the Chairman, Editorial Board of FREENEWS Magazine, Mr Obinna Evaristus Mbonu, at her office in Awka, on Friday.
She said she adopted Mmesoma to help her actualised her tall dreams in life.
Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, months ago, made the headlines after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board called her out for fraudulently manipulating her UTME score from 249 to 362, thereby falsely parading herself as UTME top scorer for 2023.
Before admitting the forgery, Mmesoma had engaged JAMB in accusation and counter-accusation, with the exam body slamming a three-year ban on her.
Speaking further, Prof Chuma-Udeh, revealed that she adopted her to see her through her school.
“She is not the first I am adopting. Even as a lecturer, I have been adopting children and training them through schools. Mmesoma is doing very well.
“She is still undergoing a psychotherapy class with the state-appointed psychotherapist.
”I decided to adopt Miss Mmesoma to help her actualised her tall dreams in this World. She is a human being, so we can not throw her away like that. We are not going to let her down. We are still pleading with the JAMB to reconsider her.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo is very passionate about every citizen in Anambra State. So we will train her through her education,” she stated.
On the award, the Commissioner, thanked the organisers of the award for recognising her, noting that the honour would spur her to do more for Ndi-Anambra.
Earlier in his presentation, the Chairman of FREENEWS Magazine Editorial Board, Mr. Mbonu, said the award was in recognition of the commissioner’s ability to drive the vision and mission of the Executive Governor of the Anambra, Prof. Charles Soludo, in the Education sub-sector to the height of Educational excellence.
