The Nnewi Anglican Diocese, Anambra state has waded into the controversy trailing the authenticity of Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s 362 highest score in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, 362 score.
LEADERSHIP gathered last night that the Bishop of the Nnewi Anglican Diocese, Most Rev. Ndubuisi Obi yesterday ordered Mmesoma, every member of her family and the principal of her school, Anglican Girls Secondary school not to grant any press interview or make any public statement on the matter again.
The bishop who sources told LEADERSHIP is currently on overseas trip was said to have directed the diocesan education secretary, Venerable Revd Henry Nduka to address a press conference today to let the public know the position of the Anglican Diocese on the matter.
The trio of the diocesan education secretary, Venerable Nduka, principal of Mmesoma’s school, Mrs Uchechukwu Edum and Mmesoma’s father, a commercial motorcycle operator, Mr. Ejikeme Romanus who earlier gave some newsmen interview appointment yesterday refused to grant any interview, an action LEADERSHIP learnt was based on the order of Bishop Obi warning them not to grant any further press interview on the matter.
The Mmesoma’s Anglican Girls Secondary school, Nnewi is one of the missionary schools earlier taken over by the Government but which was returned to the Anglican Church by the former Governor Peter Obi administration in the state.
It was gathered that the authorities of the Nnewi Anglican Diocese are embarrassed over the allegation by the Anambra state government and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB that a student of the diocesan school forged her 2023 UTME score.
“You know that the Anglican Girls Secondary school in question where Mmesoma is attending is a missionary school and belongs to the Nnewi Anglican Diocese, and, a missionary school the students cannot be involved in examination malpractice or forging of their results, otherwise, it casts serious slur on the moral standard of the students, and, the Church as a whole.
“So, the bishop of the diocesan has directed that the diocese should wade in and carry out a thorough investigation into the matter to find out what actually happened so as to clear the image of the Church.
“As a missionary school, the school management cannot condone any act of indiscipline both on the part of the school management and the students”, a source told LEADERSHIP.
It was learnt that the bishop is disappointed with the Anambra State government because the government after reporting Mmesoma to the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the Mmesoma’s UTME saga, went ahead to disown her result and started celebrating another indigene of the state, Miss Nkechinyere Umeh who scored 360 in the 2023 UTME without waiting for the outcome of the DSS investigation.
