Forgery: Innoson withdraws Mmesoma’s N3m scholarship

Innoson Vehicles has withdrawn the scholarship it awarded to Mmesoma Ejikeme, the student who forged her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.

Mmesoma had misled the public that she scored 362 in this year’s UTME as against the 249 that she actually scored in the exam.

The company had awarded her scholarship while Anambra State government was planning to honour her before JAMB raised alarm.

In a statement on Saturday, Cornel Osigwe, Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Vehicles, said the company withdrew the scholarship in response to the outcome of the panel which Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State set up to probe the issue.

The company had initially stood by Mmesoma, with Osigwe saying the candidate he met looked too innocent to do what JAMB accused her of, while asking the board to “allow the poor breathe”.

But in his statement on Saturday, Osigwe said the examination body had been vindicated.

“In recent days, we have been involved in the process of investigating allegations surrounding the 2023 UTME examination results of one of our scholarship recipients, Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. It was reported initially that Miss Joy scored exceptionally high on the exam, a feat that led to her being awarded a scholarship by our company.”

“However, subsequent reports of discrepancies in her UTME score led us to seek clarification from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and to allow her to voice her stance, we engaged in direct dialogue with Miss Joy.

“Further to this, a committee set up by the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, carried out a thorough independent investigation into this matter.

“The findings from this rigorous investigation have now confirmed that Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme did manipulate her UTME results. This conclusion is deeply disappointing and stands in direct contravention of the values we hold dear at Innoson Vehicles, particularly those that underscore our scholarship program.

“In line with these principles and in response to the confirmed findings, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the scholarship awarded to Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. This action is a testament to our unyielding commitment to honesty, integrity, and merit-based recognition.

“We acknowledge that this development is regrettable, and it has undoubtedly caused dismay among those who stood by Miss Joy including her school principal and other well-meaning supporters. However, it is crucial to maintain the integrity of our scholarship program and the values it represents.”