Ibegbulem Alexander did not earn the moniker “chairman” by presiding over the affairs of any of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. He rose to that title through a darker kind of influence—one forged in the murky underworld of examination fraud, where his notoriety for gaming the system carried the weight of real authority.
In that world, “Chairman” was known for turning data manipulation into a craft. For him, helping candidates cheat in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations was more than a scheme; it was a routine operation. Official records later revealed that he altered his personal details 18 different times, registering multiple individuals for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) under various aliases. He had, in effect, built a reputation as a “professional examination taker.”
His activities thrived within a system under immense pressure. Every year, more than 1.5 million candidates register for the UTME, all hoping to gain admission into one of the nation’s tertiary institutions. Yet fewer than one million eventually secure a place. The intense competition—particularly for highly sought-after seats in public universities—has driven some candidates to seek illegal shortcuts, creating room for fraud syndicates to flourish.
