By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), says the board remitted N27.2 billion from 2017 to date to the Federal Government’s coffers.

Oloyede disclosed this known in Abuja on Tuesday at the opening session of a three-day workshop for Public Relations staff of the board.

The workshop, organised in collaboration with Premium Times Academy, has the theme: “Media, Publicity and Public Relations in the Modern Age”.

Giving a breakdown of remittances, he said that a total of N9.7 billion was used for capital projects in the same period.

He said that N7.8 billion, N5.2 billion, N3.76 billion, N4 billion, N3.5 billion and N3 billion were remitted in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.

He said the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, had approved the establishment of Advanced Level (A Level) certificates data bank in the country.

Oloyede, who was represented by JAMB’s Director, Legal Services, Dr AbdulWahab Oyedokun, said the board had taken several measures to ensure total sanity in its examination processes.

He listed some of the measures as the deployment of sophisticated biometric technology to curb multiple registration in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He said that the board had taken another major step to put an end to use of fake A Level certificates to secure admission.

“In the last one year and in the second coming of Prof. Oloyede as registrar of JAMB, one of the major assignments we did here was to focus on some of the things that are happening in these JUPEB and IJMB.

“And during the last exam, we called a stakeholders meeting and invited managers of these organs and we asked some questions.

“We also collaborated with other security services to spread our net across the country to see what is happening and lo and behold more than 47 proprietors, lecturers and teachers and people conniving with them in perpetrating malpractices are arrested all over the country.

“Arising from that, the Minister of Education has graciously approved the establishment of A Level data bank. So for example, in a particular university, 90 per cent of those who presented their A level results for admission were found to be fake,” he said.

Oloyede said that the date bank would ensure all A Level results were registered under one platform to bring about standardisation and integrity of the certificates.

Earlier, JAMB’s Head of Media and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, who commended Oloyede for his massive support for the workshop, called on the board’s public relations staff to leverage on the training to do more in the discharge of their duties amid surge in citizen journalism.

“Today’s media has changed the dynamics of influence and put power in the hand of the ordinary people.

“PROs must now engage in the conversation through various new channels and tools. Hence the need for this workshop which is aimed at building and maintaining the positive image of JAMB in the face of smear campaigns and misrepresentation of the activities of the board.

“PR officers are often the first contact for individuals or organisations seeking to reach out in an informed way.

“They address inquiries from the media and other parties as well as track media coverage and promote industry trends,” he said.

Benjamin, however, urged participants to change along with the rising changes in the media space.

The workshop was attended by JAMB’s public relations staff from across the country and several resource persons. (NAN)

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