"My daughter did not open up to me on time," Mmesoma's father said.
Romanus Ejikeme, the father of the indicted candidate of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesome Ejikeme, has apologised to Nigerians and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Mr Ejikeme said his 19-year-old daughter did not confess the truth to him early, leaving him in the dark about the matter.
"My daughter did not open up to me on time," he told the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). "When I realised her mistake, I blamed her. I told her, Mmesoma, be careful. 'You know you are a star and should not dent your image."
"But I am still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians as a father to pardon her," he added.
False Claim
In May, Miss Mmesoma, a student of the Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra State, claimed to be the top scorer in the 2023 UTME with 362 marks out of 400.
She consequently gained popularity with many applauding her for achieving the 'feat.'
But JAMB later accused the candidate of manipulating her UTME result and inflating the score from 249 to 362. The candidate, however, insisted that the 362 was the score she received both on the JAMB portal and through the SMS sent to her by the examination body.
The examination body subsequently announced the withdrawal of the candidate's UTME result and barred her from taking the test for the next three years.
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But Miss Mmesoma in a viral video on Monday, insisted that the controversial score of 362 claimed by her was printed from the JAMB website and the examination body's accusation had left her traumatised.
Several Nigerians called for an "independent" investigation into the controversy.
Consequently, the Anambra State Government, last week, set up a panel of inquiry into the controversy.
Headed by Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor, the eight-member panel, on Friday, confirmed Miss Mmesoma forged the score of 362 as earlier claimed by JAMB.
According to the eight-page report, a copy of which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the candidate confirmed she single-handedly forged the result before approaching a cyber cafe for printing.
Father speaks
Reacting, Mr Ejikeme said his daughter, Miss Mmesoma, lied to him initially when she was interrogated about the then controversial UTME score.
"My daughter didn't open up to me on time. She didn't," Mr Ejikeme told the Nigeria Television Authority on Saturday.
"When I realised the mistake she did, I blamed her a lot that she was not supposed to do this kind of thing," he added.
Mr Ejikeme said he frequently warned the 19-year-old against denting her image.
"I am still apologising to JAMB and Nigerians to pardon her. As her father, that's my take," he stated.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
