The House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to investigate remittances by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to the federation account from 2007 to date.
This was sequel to a motion on the need to investigate JAMB remittances, by Rep. Segun Adekola (Ekiti-PDP) in Abuja.
Moving the motion, the lawmaker noted that the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun recently announced that JAMB for the first time remitted N5 billion to the coffers of the government with a balance of N3 billion yet to be remitted compared to the maximum N3 million per annum remitted in the past.
Adekola disclosed that media reports showed that between 2011 and 2015, JAMB earned at least N30 billion from registration of candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The lawmaker stressed that JAMB only remitted a meager sum to the Federal Government while within the period, it received over N2 billion yearly from the federal budget.
“The Accountant General of the federation in his response to a Freedom of Information request by a media Investigative outfit stated that JAMB remitted N11.5 million in 2011, N25 million in 2013 and N13 million in 2014 but did not make any remittances in 2012, 2015 and 2016 respectively.’’
Adekola said that the total amount JAMB remitted to the Federation Account between 2010 and 2016 was N50.8 million, which was about one percent of the amount the Agency remitted to the Federal Government in 2017 alone.
He further said that “the remittance of such amount by a non-focal revenue generating agency underscores the importance of transparency in the administration and management of government business.’’
He emphasised the urgent need to beam a searchlight on other government agencies to guide against the flagrant misappropriation of public funds with a view to promoting probity in governance.
The House, therefore, mandated its committee on Basic Education and Services to investigate the management of the finances of JAMB from 2007 till date.
The investigation would be in relation to JAMB’s earnings from prospective candidates and remittances made to the federation account.
The committee was given six weeks within which to turn in its report for further legislative action.
NAN reports that on September 14, the federal government ordered the probe of past heads of the JAMB and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, over what it called poor remittances in the past.
Adeosun stated that the disparity in the remittances of the two agencies in the past and now necessitated the decision to probe all previous heads of the two agencies.
The minister also disclosed that other agencies with similar discrepancies in their revenue remittances will be probed.
