The news cycle has been dominated by a rather curious story. Mmesoma Ejikeme is a Nigerian student who was at the center of a controversy in July 2023 after she claimed to have scored 362 out of 400 in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). However, JAMB, the body that administers the UTME, accused her of forging her result and said that she actually scored 249. And banned her from taking the UTME for three years. Ejikeme denied forging her result and said that she will appeal the ban. The controversy has raised questions about the integrity of the UTME and the way that JAMB handles cheating allegations.
This controversy is just another in a long line of them. This sort of thing happens all the time. It’s all because Nigeria is known for its “anyhowness.” There is no sense of order, duty, or integrity. This is a place where anything can happen. Everything is allowed in this environment. The Nigerian situation brings to mind Judges 21:25; “in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” There is nobody, no watchman, no leader that is conscious of their role as a paterfamilias. Someone that can emphasize order, duty, and integrity in both family and national life.
While we could chalk it all up to political witch hunting, the past three Nigerian presidents have faced allegations about their educational credentials. Young people are not being encouraged to live lives of order, duty, and integrity. And the insane cycle of anyhowness continues. There is little or no trust in Nigerian public institutions. The system is devoid of righteousness and justice. A place where everyone is out to take advantage of the system for their own personal, selfish gain. Our only hope is in you. You must be aware of the need to model virtue for everyone in your spheres of influence.
