The panel of inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government to investigate Mss. Mmesoma Ejikeme’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, result has confirmed the young lady actually scored 249 as against a score of 362 she had earlier paraded.

Mmesoma who sat for the UTME in May became the center of attention after claiming to have the highest score of 362, which the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB, administrative body of the UTME, later revealed was manipulated.

The controversy between JAMB and Mmesoma led to the birth of the eight-man panel on Wednessday to thoroughly investigate the matter and come up with facts.

In its eight-page report entitled “Report of the committee on Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s JAMB score controversy” which was released on Friday by the state commissioner for information, Paul Nwosu, the panel said it conducted interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and other individual(s) involved in the process as well as the principal of Mmesom’s school, the Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra State.

The outcome of the investigation showed Mmesoma acclaimed score of 362 was manipulated and her actual score was 249 as earlier stated by JAMB.

The panel stated Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself, using her phone. It was revealed she had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81 which differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

The Principal, Anglican Girls’ Secondary School — Mrs Edu Uche and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) were reported to have expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.

The report which was addressed to the Anambra state governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, reads as thus:

“Recall Mr Governor that with the recent release of scores of candidates who applied for admission by the JAMB and subsequent announcement of Nkechiyere Umeh as the candidate with the highest score of 360, Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi, from Enugu State, protested to the state government that she scored 362 and ought to have been so recognised.

“This has elicited interest and generated serious controversy and misgivings among the general public that the state government in its wisdom decided to constitute a committee of inquiry to look into the under-listed terms of reference; review Ejikeme Joy Mmesomna JAMB result and associated documents.

“Conduct interviews with relevant parties, including Mmesoma, JAMB officials and any other individual(s) involved in the process. Provide recommendations based on the findings of the investigation.

“The committee invited Mmesoma, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, and officials of JAMB for an interactive session with the Committee.

“JAMB officials led by Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Head of Public Affairs presented the detailed processes and procedures involved in JAMB admissions, the policy changes that have occurred in the release of UTME scores since 2021 and what specifically transpired between the candidate Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with registration number: 20230639047FF in her quest to obtain her JAMB score.

“JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to the JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidate’s UTME Results to Wit: Eng: 64, Phy:54, Bio: 74, Che: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.

“JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score. Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTME result of an aggregate score of 362, with Eng: 98, Phy: 89, Bio: 94, and Che: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249

“It was also evident that even the centre name ‘Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.

“In Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s submission, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.

“She also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number.

“According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafé (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.

“The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said nothing.

“In their own submissions, the Principal Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu, Nnewi, and the Education Secretary — Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to have manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the state government.”

“We hope that this unearthing of the truth as we have discovered will go a long way in correcting the sentiments, misconceptions and deceptions that have been in the public domain.”

The panel recommended that Mmesoma immediately tender an unreserved written apology to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, the school (Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi), and the state government and should undergo psychological counselling and therapy.

Pursuant to the powers conferred on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the relevant provisions of Central Bank of Nigeria Act & the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), it issued its Guidelines on Disclosure and Transparency, hereinafter referred to as “the Guidelines” to give effect to the Disclosure and Transparency Principle contained in the Consumer Protection Framework (CPF) for institutions regulated by the CBN.

The Guidelines provide minimum Disclosure and Transparency requirements for Financial Institutions under the regulatory purview of the CBN to ensure they provide consumers with all material and relevant information regarding their business relationship in a clear and transparent manner. 

The notable provisions  of these guidelines are what will constitute the focus of this article going forward.

What is the objective of the guidelines?

The objective of the Guidelines is to protect consumers against the provision of inadequate, misleading or failure to disclose material and relevant information and generally guard against lack of transparency by Financial Institutions in their dealings with consumers. 

The Guidelines therefore set out the minimum standards expected from Financial Institutions on consumer protection disclosure and transparency. 

What is the scope/applicability of the guidelines on transparency and disclosure?

The Guidelines shall apply to all transactions by financial  institutions(FIs) licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria and their agents, subsidiaries and associates. 

What are some of the notable general provisions of the guidelines?

Some of the general conditions of the guidelines on disclosure and transparency include the following :-

Contracts, offer letters, statements of account, notices and other documents (hereinafter referred to as the “document”) provided or made available to consumers shall:

-Be written in clear, legible and simple English language and in a minimum font size of 10.

– State the name, contact details of the Financial Institution and the consumer.

-Contain a statement that the Financial Institution is regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

– The overall impression of the document must not be misleading or deceptive.

– Provide a copy of the document to the consumer in a durable medium for future reference.

What are the disclosure requirements of the guidelines on advertisement?

Financial Institutions shall comply with the following disclosure requirements on all advertisements and promotional materials: 

-The content of advertisements shall be factual and unambiguous, expressed in clear and simple language and shall not be offensive, misleading, deceptive, injurious, or exaggerate the benefits of the products or services being advertised.

-The overall impression of advertisements shall not emphasize benefits of a product or service while de-emphasizing its associated risks or important disclosure information. 

– Details of the cost of a product or services, including all fees and other charges shall be clearly disclosed.

– All interest rates in advertisements shall be disclosed on an annual basis and not for a shorter period.

– Where an advertisement refers to, or is linked to other value adding benefits, the nature and value of such benefits shall be fully disclosed.

What are the requirements of the guidelines on pre-contractual disclosures?

FIs are required to :

-Disclose to consumers all terms and conditions of a product or service on offer, as well as the features, inherent risks, benefits, fees and other associated charges.

-Disclose in contract documents, the possibility of variations in rate of interest or foreign exchange due to changes in market conditions.

– Disclose to consumers all available similar or competing products and services for the purpose of comparison and making informed choices.

-Provide a Key Fact Statements (KFS) in a format attached as Annexure A1 stating a summary of key information on loans to consumers. 

What are the requirements of the guidelines regarding contractual disclosures?

FIs are required to:-

–  Notify consumers of any transaction on their account immediately it is made. At a minimum, the notification shall include the amount, date and the account balance.

– Ensure that transaction narrations in account statements and transaction notifications are clear; stating the nature of the transaction, date, payer or payee, transaction channel and location.

-Ensure that, at a minimum, any proposed and final contract prominently contains the following information: 

• Key features and risks of the financial product or service;

• Tenor of the contract (if any);

 The nature, amount and method of calculation of any interest, fee or charge and when it is payable; 

• The applicable Annual Percentage Rate to be calculated using the formula stated in Annexure B1 and B2 of the guidelines.

What are the provisions of the guidelines regarding specific products disclosure?

FIs shall ensure that they comply with the following additional disclosure requirements for specific product types in any proposed contract, letter of offer or final contract: 

For credit facilities:

• a) Name and contact details of borrower;

• b) type of credit, purpose of credit;

• c) collateral pledged and its estimated value;

• d) the amount of credit or applicable credit limit; 

• e) conditions precedent to drawdown; 

• f) debt recovery process;

• g) moratorium (where applicable); 

• h) insurance requirements (where applicable);

• i) details of lending fees; 

• j) variable rate information (where applicable)

For deposit products: 

• a) minimum balance requirement and other limit on account balances or transactions where applicable; 
• b) monthly maintenance fee, any applicable tenor for a term deposit and any penalty for terminating a term deposit early;
• c) savings withdrawal options; and

• d) any reason(s) and timeline within which the account could become inactive or dormant.

 For products or instruments used as store of value such as e-wallet accounts and cards: 

• a) minimum balance and any other limit on account balances and transactions (if applicable); 
• b) types of payments for which the instrument may not be used; 
• c) applicable agent network.

What are the provisions of the guidelines on disclosures on default?

On the due date of the loan repayment, the consumer shall be notified within 3 days, through the agreed medium that a default charge would be applied on the account after 7 days from the date the obligation becomes due.

What are the compliance requirements prescribed by the guidelines?

Financial Institutions(FIs) shall have in place a policy approved by their Boards of Directors which documents the processes, procedures and systems designed to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Guidelines.

What is the effect of failure to comply with these guidelines?

Failure to comply with the provisions of the Guidelines shall attract regulatory sanctions provided for by the CBN Act, the BOFIA, other laws and regulations. 

Jonathan Shaw and his co-founder, Archip Lobo, launched Nuru to address the huge electricity gap in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Nuru is a renewable and environment company that specializes in developing mini-grid and solar-hybrid systems.

Jonathan got his business idea by observation of the high level of energy starvation in DRC

” Only about 10% of Congo’s 100 million inhabitants have access to electricity.” Bloomberg

This huge energy gap inspired Prof. Shaw to launch Nuru with his PhD Research Assistant, Archip Lobo Ngumba

Nuru was founded in 2015 as Kivu Green Energy and built Congo’s first mini-grid in 2017. In 2020, it opened a 1.3-megawatt facility in the city of Goma, making it the largest mini-grid in sub-Saharan Africa with no connection to a national network.

Nuru operates a B2B business model and a metro-grid electrification model. Its solar panels are backed up by Tesla Inc. batteries and diesel. Its mini-grids provide power to urban communities. This allows the communities to leapfrog the use of power generated with fossil fuels and primarily use renewable sources in a region where security threats make it difficult to attract investment.

The smart execution of its metro-grid electrification model has proved viable and enabled the company to develop more mini-grids across different regions; attract mass adoption; and raise a total of $49.3 million in 6 funding rounds

Nuru won the backing of the International Finance Corp. and the UK government-backed Renewable Energy Performance Platform, among others, in its recent $40 million Series B round.

The company is using the funds to boost energy generation from its four plants by about 10-fold to 13.7 megawatts at peak capacity by adding three more larger-scale facilities, namely Goma, Kindu, and Bunia.

By combining solar power and batteries, the new transformational projects will build upon Nuru’s existing operating assets in four other cities in eastern DRC, as it pushes to provide power to 5 million people by 2024.