JAMB SCORE: THE UMEH DEBACLE, by Seun Adesida

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Traditionally, it is the responsibility of JAMB to annually announce the highest mark in UTME. As of May 10 this year. JAMB clearly warned the purveyor of the highest scores to desist as it was still conducting exams.

If JAMB was still conducting exams at the time Umeh’s scores had been bandied on social media platforms and mainstream media houses latched unto it without a shred of verification. The euphoria around Umeh was social media frenzy lacking verifiable facts.

The media riding of social media frenzy inadvertently legitimizes an unverified report. Assuming the girl got the scores as printed, it is still an abnormality to start pronouncing her as the overall best candidate.

JAMB’s press statement looks like an attempt to exonerate itself from possible litigation which I am sure will emerge after its announcement. Unfortunately for Umeh, JAMB will still win in court. It has control of the digital footprint of its results, unlike whatever ‘cafe’ ‘printed’ her results.

Umeh does not need the capacity to fake, falsify or change her scores. There are several fronts for such desperation to clone the results. Printed matter is subject to the input of the printer’s intention and print matter!

Many of us, will recall the days when Radio and TV stations will be collating results for INEC ahead of INEC’s announcement. It has caused deaths, destruction and maiming of many Nigerians.

Innoson failed to conduct simple due diligence before instituting a scholarship, you can’t also blame Innoson because reports from mainstream media must be seen as authentication of Umehs results, not JAMB.

For Umeh’s integrity and integrity of JAMB’s examination. This debacle should be tested in our courts, Umeh may still lose, but one thing will be established the fact of what happened!

In the final analysis, Nigerian media should be deliberate in investigating purported results being peddled on social media.

(Generated from Facebook comment)