NASS Threatens To Cut JAMB Off From FG Grants
The National Assembly, which includes the Senate and House of Representatives, has threatened to remove the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from the 2025 budget proposal. They argue that it is unjustifiable for the board not to remit N4 billion to the Federation Account, especially after receiving N6 billion from the Federal Government in 2024.
According to the National Assembly, the federal government should stop providing grants to JAMB and allow the agency to spend what it generates.
This position was expressed by the joint committee of the National Assembly following a presentation by JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. He appeared before the committee, led by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), to defend the agency’s 2025 budget proposal during a session focused on ministries, departments, and agencies’ (MDAs) revenue projections for 2025.
During the session, Oloyede provided a breakdown of JAMB’s 2024 budget performance, indicating that the board had remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund while receiving a grant of N6 billion from the federal government.
This situation was met with dissatisfaction from the committee, with members such as Abiodun Faleke and Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo) questioning why a self-funding agency is still receiving allocations from the federal government.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Faleke, queried JAMB, saying, “You remitted N4billion and got N6billion from the federal government. Why not keep the N4billion and we stop the government from funding JAMB.”
Oshiomhole also queried: “You spent N1.1billion 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.
“You also spent N850 million on security, cleaning, and fumigation in 2024. What did you fumigate? Is it mosquitoes that took all this money?
The former governor of Edo State criticized the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for spending N600 million on local travel. He urged Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, to justify the allocation of N6.5 billion for local training, N1 billion for a staff housing scheme, N75 million for vehicle maintenance, and costs related to refurbishments, among other expenditures.
Earlier, Senator Musa, the chairman of the committee, expressed concerns about the low revenue remittances for 2024 from various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and certain government-owned enterprises (GOEs) to the federation account. The MDAs represented at the meeting included the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), as well as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).
Senator Musa pointed out that the Senate is increasingly alarmed by the significant gap between the substantial revenues generated by these MDAs and their consistently low remittances to the federation account.
“This trend undermines the government’s capacity to fund critical infrastructure and social services, calling to question issues of inefficiency, mismanagement, and possible revenue leakages,” he said.
According to him, the committee’s mandate is to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the financial operations of the agencies.
He also stated that the committee would continue to examine MDAs’ revenue projections, performance, and compliance with statutory remittance obligations.
Musa explained that the purpose of the session was to identify systematic issues and recommend actionable solutions to address the concerning patterns. He emphasized the importance of cooperation and understanding from all stakeholders during the interactive session.
He stressed that it is crucial to present accurate data, comprehensive records, and open data for the benefit of Nigerians.
The lawmaker said “Let us approach these tasks with a shared commitment to building a stronger, more accountable fiscal framework for Nigeria.
“I call on all of us to please be very open on all those areas that we know, even if they are not presented to us.”
