Expediency Of Correcting And Counselling Mmesoma Instead Of Casting Stones At Her (OPINION) By Isaac Asabor
There is no denying the fact that since the controversy surrounding Miss Mmesoma Joy Ejike began to trend on both the online and traditional media platforms venoms were literarily been poured on her even as stones were also been cast at her by virtually everyone that is acquainted with her story without sparing a thought for her psychological wellbeing. Not only that, not a few commentators that remarked on the issue resorted to tribalizing and trivializing it as if they are collectively saints that would always be found blameless.
Observingly watching the scenario from afar as it keeps playing out for close to two weeks now, the idiomatic expression that has been flashing across my subconscious mind is the one that says, “The pot calling the kettle black.” The idiom which readily finds expression in the trial of Mmesoma in the Court of Public Opinion is brought to bear in this context with no intention to shower praises on her for the fraud she committed, but only to show that not a few Nigerians are guiltless of the crime she is being accused of as she is human after all, just like all of us. Without a doubt, not a few people have limitations in exercising their integrity, particularly when no one is watching. You may have wondered why this writer is sounding this way. The reason for sounding in this manner cannot be farfetched as not a few self-acclaimed Judges who equally have no limitations whatsoever are unjustly and unfairly judging her without sparing a thought about her psychological well-being, and how she can be rehabilitated, so to say. But unknowingly to these sanctimonious Nigerians, there is an ultimate judge. This Judge is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are all quite used to thinking of Jesus as our Saviour, as the Son of God, as the Good Shepherd, or as our Prophet, Priest, and King. But we should remember that the Bible also speaks of Him as a Judge. According to John 5:22 ‘For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.’ According to 2 Timothy 4:1, Jesus ‘shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.’ He also against the backdrop of the foregoing scripture called the Righteous Judge who will give the crown of righteousness to all who love His appearing. Perhaps you may wonder what kind of Judge Jesus Christ is.
Without a doubt, one passage that heightens the volumes to the foregoing is John chapter 8 verses 1 to 11, which is the account of the woman who was caught in adultery. The account begins with Jesus coming to Jerusalem early in the morning to teach the multitudes who had gathered in the Temple. The Feast of Tabernacles had just ended the day before and the crowds were about to leave Jerusalem and begin their long journey home. But as Christ was teaching them in the Temple, He was rudely interrupted by a group of scribes and Pharisees who brought a woman before Him and asked Him to pass judgment on her immediately in the exactitude of the way JAMB was urged to ruthlessly deal with Nmmesoma, and in the same vein urged the leadership of Innoson to withdraw her scholarship; even as Anambra State Government did the same to her.
At this juncture, it is expedient to opine that in as much as Mmesoma is facing a high level of opprobrium and vituperation for engaging in the falsification of her JAMB scores that she might equally be facing psychological trauma which many people seem to have ignored. In fact, it is easy to point the finger and lambast Mmesoma but the seeds of falsifying examination scores and certificates were sowed by our political leaders and other leaders in the corporate world; even prior to Nigeria’s transition from a military regime to a civilian regime in 1999.
Given the gravity of her misdemeanor coupled with the barrage of negative commentary, being heaped on her, the fear of her being psychologically devastated cannot be pooh-poohed. Children who have experienced traumatic events.
Ask any adequately educated and enlightened person about how Mmesoma may psychologically be feeling as a result of the imbroglio she naively threw herself into, he or she may no doubt download the symptoms of psychological trauma to you to your consternation.
To put this piece in an explanatory perspective, permit me to recall that a writer once described an experience he had about casting stones of judgment while walking on the road one day. He apparently saw a strong, healthy-looking man, leaning back lazily against a chair, attending to what seemed like an insignificant task on a board in front of him. ‘What a lazy fellow’, he thought, as he passed by. However, when he turned back for a second look from a different angle, to his horror he realized that the person he had thought ‘lazy’, was without one leg. You can just imagine what went through the mind of the one who had passed judgment so quickly! He realized that the man was far from lazy, and the work he was involved in was hardly insignificant!
How easily do we pass judgment on people; how easily do we criticize them; and how easily do we build unpleasant thoughts about others? How quickly do we cast stones? We do this so often, even though we may be having worse flaws than the ones we are criticizing.
In Matthew7: 1-5, Jesus used an everyday but effective illustration to convey His thoughts on judging others. He first warned, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged…(verse 1-2)” He then drove His point further by asking, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye (verse 3)?” Jesus made it absolutely clear that we need to first clear the flaws within us before we cast stones at others. If not, we would be acting as hypocrites (verses 4-5)!
If you ask this writer who he thinks has reasonably spoken about Mmesoma’s plight, he will no doubt tell you that the former Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has dispassionately shared his view on the issue as he in his opinion Anambra State governor, Charles Soludo to manage the findings of the committee set up to address the saga between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Mmesoma over her UTME result well.
Keyamo described Mmesoma as a brilliant girl, advising that the nation should be careful not to destroy her, noting that what she needed was counseling, correction, and guidance, since investigation has shown Mmesoma forged the 362 score she was parading as against the authentic score, 249.
In a statement disseminated through 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.
The icing on the cake in his comment is, “It is time to close this very unfortunate chapter and move on. This is my plea.”
