Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the findings of the committee set up by the Anambra State governor, Charles Soludo, to investigate the saga between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and Ejikeme Mmesoma over her UTME result.

Keyamo described Mmesoma as a brilliant girl, advising that the nation should be careful not to destroy her and noting that what she needed was counseling, correction, and guidance.

Investigation had shown Mmesoma forged the 362 score she was parading as against the authentic score of 249.

In a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Saturday, the former Minister, who described the incident as unfortunate, said he deliberately waited for the end of the investigation before commenting on the saga.

Keyamo also advised that her parents should encourage her to do a public apology to JAMB, to her family, and to Nigerians, and that she should be allowed to get her admission based on actual scores.

He wrote, “I deliberately waited for the end of this investigation before commenting on this unfortunate case of our daughter, Mmesoma Ejikeme.

“She’s a brilliant girl, judging by her actual score of 249. The nation should be careful not to destroy her. What she needs is counseling, correction, and guidance. She obviously did not know the weight and gravity of what she was doing. As teenagers, most of us made juvenile mistakes that never came to light.

“The parents should encourage her to do a public apology to JAMB, to her family, and to Nigerians, after which she should be allowed to get her admission based on her actual scores. Anyone still pushing other narratives over this issue is not helping her and her family.

“It is time to close this very unfortunate chapter and move on. This is my plea.”