- The National Assembly expressed concerns over JAMB’s spending, including N1.1 billion on meals, warning of potential budget cuts for 2025
- Senator Oshiomhole questioned JAMB’s expenditures, demanding justification for N850 million spent on security and cleaning amid financial scrutiny
On Monday, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance raised concerns about the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over its significant spending on meals, refreshments, and mosquito control in 2024.
The committee warned that JAMB’s federal allocation might be cut from the 2025 budget. This came after JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, presented the board’s budget proposal for the upcoming year.
Oloyede revealed that JAMB had remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2024. Despite this, the federal government granted the board N6 billion.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) questioned the justification for spending N850 million on security, cleaning, and fumigation.
He remarked, “You spent N1.1 billion on meals and refreshments. Is the government feeding you for free? This money comes from poor students, including orphans.”
He further inquired about the high fumigation costs, asking, “What exactly did you fumigate? Did mosquitoes consume all this money?”
The board also spent N600 million on local travel, raising additional scrutiny.
Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abiodun Faleke, also criticized JAMB’s reliance on federal allocations despite being a revenue-generating agency.
He stated, “You remitted N4 billion and received N6 billion from the government. Why not keep the N4 billion and stop relying on federal funding?”
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