Reps Probe JAMB Remittance Discrepancies
In a bid to unravel inconsistencies in the remittances of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to the Federal Government, the House of Representatives has initiated the formation of a committee.
The decision to establish this committee stems from the unsettling discovery of non-reconciliation between the financial records of JAMB and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
During a session before the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that the examination body commenced remitting revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund less than a year after he assumed office.
According to Oloyede, JAMB remitted varying amounts annually: 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.
Providing further insights, Oloyede shared JAMB’s internal revenue figures under his leadership, citing amounts of N13.33bn, N11.35bn, N9.74bn, and N12.62bn for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
However, a discrepancy of N11m surfaced in the submission by Mrs. Lucy Anom, representing the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
In response to this discrepancy, Committee Chairman Afoji Obuku called for the establishment of a sub-committee to investigate the alleged differences and present findings to the Committee on Basic Education.
In a related development, JAMB expressed opposition to the Federal Government’s automated deduction of funds from registration fees for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, contending that it significantly diminishes their revenue contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
Oloyede emphasized that while JAMB generates its funds, the automated deduction adversely impacts revenue for essential capital projects.
Committee member Oyedeji Oyeshina observed a decline in JAMB’s revenue generation and remittances to the CRF since 2019. Oloyede clarified that the reduction was attributed to a decrease in examination fees for UTME candidates, reduced from N5,000 to N3,500 in 2019.
He noted that the automated deduction began after the Federal Government approved and implemented the reduction in examination fees.