Arrest Me If You Can,Whiz-kid, Onyiuke Challenges JAMB Registrar, Oloyede

There seems to be no end in sight as the face-off between the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Akachukwu
Onyiuke, the whiz-kid, who obtained 9As in the May/June 2019 West
African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), has taken
new dimension.

The 17-year-old Anambra State indigene has asked the Registrar
of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, to review the CCTV at his exam centre
to ascertain his claims of following due process before entering
the hall to write the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME). He also challenged Oloyede to prosecute him if
he has evidence that he entered the exam hall illegally to write
the UTME:
“I am ready to be prosecuted by
JAMB. They have arrested many candidates, why have they not come
after me. The Registrar, Prof Oloyede, claimed I entered the exam
hall illegally. If he has the proof that I did not follow due
process in entering the exam hall, let him order my arrest. I am
not scare because I did biometric and went through other
formalities before proceeding to the third floor to write the
UTME.”

Onyiuke had his UTME withheld since May despite efforts by him,
school and the parents to ensure the result were released. JAMB
withheld the result without explanation until the Zonal Coordinator
in Anambra State in August disclosed that he did not do biometrics.
Confident of not breaching the exam (UTME) rules and regulations,
Onyiuke threw the challenge to JAMB registrar to do the needful if
he (Oloyede) has evidence that he gained access into the exam hall
illegally and order his arrest.

The whiz-kid from Nimo in Njikoka Local Government had told The
Education Report earlier report that he suspected JAMB is holding
on to his result because he may have scored above 370.

Onyiuke tackles Anambra JAMB coordinator

Onyiuke’s new position followed an email message he received
from JAMB Zonal Coordinator in Anambra State, apparently in
reaction to our earlier publication in which the young lad took
JAMB to the cleaners and demanded for the release of his UTME
result.

Aside his response to the coordinator through email detailing
the process he went through at his exam centre before writing the
UTME, Onyiuke sworn to an affidavit at the State High Court in
Onitsha to give credence to his position that he went through due
process. The co-ordinator, Linda Ajanwachuku, told him via e-mail:
“As a result of the ticketing raised last Friday, your petition has
been answered and has been sent to your email. Apparently, there is
no evidence that you did biometrics verification before you entered
the examination hall.’’

Onyiuke responded: ‘’I suppose your reading of my interview on
yesterday’s newspaper (published in Daily Sun, August 13, 2019) was
what warranted your reply. I do not know if there are any ulterior
motives attached to your reply, but the circumstances surrounding
the nature of your reply and the time of your reply as well, have
made me consider the fact that there must be some other strings
attached. Nevertheless, I will like to make some points clear to
you and to JAMB as well.

‘’First, as you might have seen and read in the newspaper, I
wrote UTME twice; in SSII and SSIII and as such, I am very
conversant with how to thumbprint. Only cheats do not thumbprint.
Your inference is that I was not the one that wrote that exam. It
is funny because I personally believe that no one in Nigeria can
write that exam the way I wrote it. I am sure you know the saying:
‘If you want something done well, do it yourself.’

‘’If you claim that there is no evidence pointing the fact that
I did thumbprint, I find that uncalled for. Firstly, my centre was
arguably the best in the nation and there was no record of
examination malpractice. Secondly, my slip was signed as evidence
to prove that I did my biometrics verification so it is in your
best interest and JAMB’s as well to produce that ‘signed slip’.

“Thirdly, I do not want to believe that the board is hard of
hearing because I have stated for the umpteenth time that there are
CCTVs in my examination centre and playing such CCTVs back to a
certain date is something that even I can do.

‘’Having stated all these, I am sure that you will agree with me
that there is enough evidence to go round. I urge the JAMB to
review their consciences and also note that they are on the wrong
side of this argument. If it is my high score that bothers you, my
antecedents are more than sufficient to back it up.

‘’The following attachment is an affidavit that I swore. It
gives a step-by-step explanation of how I carried out my activities
on the said day. I forgot to add that I have received no reply to
my tickets so your claim that it has been sent to my mail is
false.’’

To further prove his point, Onyiuke swore to an affidavit where
he revealed how he wrote the UTME. He stated that on April 17,
2019, he got to the his exam centre, Chamscity/Sascon CBTS2, Third
Floor, Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja, and he and
other candidates were made to queue up for 30 minutes for
screening. After screening, he proceeded to do biometrics: “In
doing my biometrics, I placed my finger on the machine and made
sure personally that my credentials appeared on the screen.’

‘’My examination centre was on the third floor. I made my way up
the flight of stairs to the third floor and presented my signed
examination slip to the official at the entrance upon which I was
allowed into the exam hall to locate my seat.

“The examination went smoothly, and I was glad that after very
thorough and strenuous hours, days, weeks and months of studying, I
was not a bit surprised at what was presented on the screen, as the
exam was very easy for me.

‘’In reality and actual fact, I do not expect to be presented
with a score less than 370 at the least. I finished the exam, which
was to run for two hours in about one hour and 15 minutes, thus
giving me ample time to go through my work, which I did for the
reminder of the time.

‘’We were again made to queue up so as to sign out. Again I
thumbprinted and ensured that my credentials once again appeared on
the screen. With this done, I submitted my signed examination slip
to the official and left the premises.’’

The lad urged JAMB to re-visit and review the CCTV to ascertain
his claims and disclosed that on the exam day, he wore a red shirt,
ash trousers, and black shoes and glasses: ‘’I, my school
authorities and parents had earlier written and paid several visits
to the JAMB office at Bwari, Abuja requesting for investigation and
further verification, yet not a word from JAMB.’’

Proprietor of Royal Academy, Ibadan, Oyo State, Chief Laide
Oluwaseun, said: ‘’I don’t want to take side in this issue. But
with his performance in SS11 when he wrote UTME (270) and his
performance as a private candidate (WASSCE) and with 9As in
May/June 2019 WASSCE, it is obvious that JAMB should take a second
look at his claim. If the board has a strong case against him, let
them make it public rather than keeping quite.’’

When The Education Report sought the reactions of Head, Media
and Information, JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said: ‘’You published a
story verbatim the way the school/the candidate gave you with
insult and derogatory comments without calling me. I called you
same day it was published and you didn’t pick, how then do you want
me to respond to falsehood and paid publication?

‘’You have left me so much to doubt, perhaps because of the book
you wanted JAMB to buy, include this in the publication. And I will
prove to you what the school told us about you and Fred.’’

In the first report, Dr. Benjamin did not respond to WhatsApp
message sent to his phone on August 7, 2019, about the plight of
Onyiuke.