JAMB 2023: We Have Not Announced Overall Best Candidate – JAMB

JAMB 2023: We Have Not Announced Overall Best Candidate – JAMB

The management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) categorically stated that no candidate has been announced as the overall best in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Despite claims by certain sections of the media and online platforms, the board officially denies any declaration of a candidate as the top performer.

One particular student, 15-year-old Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme from Anglican Girls Secondary School (AGSS) in Nnewi, Anambra State, was erroneously proclaimed as the overall best candidate with a score of 362 in the UTME. Prior to her alleged achievement, another 15-year-old boy named Lotanna Azuokeke from Bishop Otubelu Juniorate in Trans Ekulu, Enugu State, scored 337 and was initially declared as the overall best candidate.

Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Head of Public Affairs and Protocol at JAMB, clarified the situation to the Daily Sun, emphasizing that the board has not yet announced the overall best candidate for the 2023 UTME. According to him, the exams are still ongoing, and any declaration regarding the top performer can only be made by JAMB after the completion of the UTME.

Furthermore, a senior staff member of JAMB highlighted that neither JAMB nor the school had officially communicated with Joy Ejikeme or AGSS Nnewi regarding her supposed achievement as the overall best candidate. The staff member stressed that it is essential to wait until the ongoing UTME concludes, as JAMB has rescheduled some candidates who are still in the process of writing the exam. Therefore, the board has not conveyed to any candidate that they are the overall best performer in the 2023 UTME. The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-shaq Oloyede, will announce the top performer at the appropriate time.

It is worth noting that certain newspapers, online platforms, and television stations have been celebrating Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme of AGSS Nnewi as the overall best candidate for the 2023 UTME, citing her score of 362. However, earlier reports had also hailed Lotanna Azuokeke, aged 15, as the overall best candidate for the UTME based on his impressive score of 337, which included the highest recorded score of 99 in Mathematics.

To reiterate, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board denies having announced the overall best candidate for the 2023 UTME. The board maintains that the ongoing exams must be concluded before any official declaration can be made, urging the media, online platforms, and individuals to wait for the appropriate announcement by the Registrar of JAMB.