JAMB remits N7.8bn as against N500m expected in 2017 ―Registrar

THE Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Registration Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, on Tuesday, explained the processes that led to returning of N7.8 billion to government coffers as revenue in 2017 by the examination body, saying the government never expected such huge amount from the agency.

Professor Oloyode, while attending the inauguration ceremony of members of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of JAMB, Bwari, being conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), said he was charged to at least return nothing less than N500 million for the year 2017.

According to him, “a top government officer threatened JAMB to return nothing less than N500 million to the government. Even the officer that was with me in that meeting advised that I should say the agency will be able to return about N600 million. But at the end of the day, we returned N7.8 billion.”

The Registrar maintained that his action which was not meant to expose former Chief Executives of JAMB was purely a product of his anti-corruption reforms in the agency that was couched on accountability and transparency in the management of government finances.

He urged the ACTU members to use the platform that has been enabled by ICPC to tackle corruption in JAMB, lamenting that the many corruption matters he has been handling was beginning to have an adverse effect on his other responsibilities.

Professor Oloyede also assured the ACTU members of unfettered support of the management, promising that he would not hesitate to spend his personal money to facilitate their work if the need arises.

“I can assure you of our total support, just as it will not be good for if corruption is traced to any of you. Funding will not be your problem because you will have more than what government is giving you because you will be relieving me of pursuing criminals.” He stated.

Earlier, acting Chairman of ICPC, Honourable Abdullahi Bako, lauded the on-going anti-corruption reforms of JAMB which had recently uncovered massive looting in some of its state offices.

Bako, who was represented by Mr Justin Kuatsea of the Corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Department (CMED), noted that the achievements of JAMB in the anti-corruption fight was worthy of emulation by other government agencies.

On her own part, the Chairman of ACTU in JAMB, Mrs Munirat Lawal, gave the assurances that the unit would deliver on its mandate by helping to reduce the incidence of corruption in the agency.

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She added that the unit had already begun work by sensitizing staff against corruption and helping to close down some illegal centres for the conduct of the Computer Based Test (CBT).