The National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance has raised alarm over what it described as extravagant spending by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), warning of potential cuts to its federal funding in the 2025 budget proposal.
The concerns emerged during JAMB registrar Ishaq Oloyede’s presentation of the board’s 2025 budget proposal to the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Monday.
Mr. Oloyede revealed that JAMB remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2024, after receiving a grant of N6 billion from the federal government the same year. This disclosure sparked criticism from lawmakers who accused the board of excessive expenditures, particularly on meals, refreshments, and fumigation.
Committee Chairman, Abiodun Faleke, expressed dissatisfaction with JAMB’s financial performance. “You remitted N4 billion and got N6 billion from the federal government. Why not keep the N4 billion, and we stop the government from funding JAMB?” Mr. Faleke questioned.
Adding to the scrutiny, Senator Adams Oshiomole criticized JAMB’s reported N1.1 billion spending on meals and refreshments. “You spent N1.1 billion on meals and refreshments. Are you being freely fed by the government? What this means is that you are spending the money you generate from poor students, many of them orphans,” Oshiomole remarked.
He further questioned the N850 million reportedly spent on security, cleaning, and fumigation. “What did you fumigate? Is it mosquitoes that took all this money?” he asked.
The committee has since called for stricter oversight of JAMB’s spending and warned that its funding might be reduced in the forthcoming budget if such expenditures are not curtailed.
