Reps Set Up Committee To Probe JAMB Remittances

A committee has been established by the House of Representatives to investigate discrepancies in the remittances of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to the Federal Government.

Naija News understands that the decision was made due to the non-reconciliation found in the records of the examination body and the account of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

During a hearing with the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, stated that the examination body began remitting revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund less than a year after he assumed office.

He informed the Committee that JAMB remitted N7.8bn in 2017, followed by N5.2bn, N3.68bn, N3.82bn, N3.5bn, and N3.1bn in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively.

Additionally, Oloyede revealed that under his leadership, JAMB generated internal revenue of N13.33bn, N11.35bn, N9.74bn, and N12.62bn in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively.

Nevertheless, a disparity of N11 million was identified when Lucy Anom, representing the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, submitted her findings. This prompted the Chairman of the Committee, Afoji Obuku, to request the formation of a sub-committee.

The subcommittee’s purpose would be to thoroughly investigate the alleged variances and provide a detailed report to the Committee on Basic Education.

However, Oloyede expressed his dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s automated deduction of funds generated from the registration fees paid by candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), stating that it has greatly diminished the revenue contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

“We tell government not to pay us salaries. We generate our own monies but these auto deduction is affecting our revenue for capital projects,” he said.

Speaking, a committee member from Oyo state, Oyedeji Oyeshina, highlighted the decrease in revenue generation and remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the federation by JAMB since 2019.

However, during his speech, Oloyede clarified that the board’s internally generated revenue from 2019 to 2022 significantly reduced remittances to the federal government’s coffers. This reduction resulted from the decrease in examination fees for UTME candidates.

Oloyede further explained that the examination fee was reduced from ₦5,000 to ₦3,500 in 2019. He also mentioned that the federal government had initiated an automated deduction system for internal revenue remittances after the board approved and implemented the examination fee reduction.

The committee, which assured effective oversight of JAMB and other agencies, had previously requested the submission of annual audited accounts, procurement plans, schedule of IGR, and evidence of remittances from JAMB.

Additionally, the committee tasked JAMB with providing a comprehensive list of its staff strength to assess compliance with the Federal Character Principle.