Innoson Vehicles has taken its final decision on the 3million scholarship awarded to Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School in Nnewi, Anambra state.
Innoson Vehicles on Saturday has withdrawn the scholarship awarded to the embattled candidate following her confession to forgery
This is coming after the Anambra committee of inquiry set up by the state governor, Charles Soludo revealed that she forged her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result herself.
Ejikeme had been paraded as the top scorer of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The student had claimed to have scored 362 but JAMB refuted her claim, stressing that she got 249.
The panel in its investigation on Friday revealed that Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated her scores, DAILY GIST reports.
“The results paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with an aggregate score of 362 are fake as buttressed by significant variations in the registration number, date of birth, centre name, and other infractions.”
“Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using herself using her phone”, the panel’s report reads.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Cornel Osigwe, head of corporate communications, Innoson, said the company made the “difficult decision” to withdraw the scholarship “in response to the confirmed findings”.
“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.”
