The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), at the weekend, said effective and prudent management of resources accruing to it was responsible for its remittances of over N55 billion into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) since Prof. Is-haq Oloyede assumed office as JAMB’s Registrar.

The Board revealed this after remitting N2 billion as its interim surplus for the 2023 operating year, saying that more would be paid as its operations for the year are completed in furtherance of the pledge made by the Oloyede-led administration that it would leverage on technology and discipline to manage the affairs of the board.

In a statement by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, made available to The Guardian, the board said since Oloyede’s assumption of office, JAMB has remitted over N55 billion to the Federal Government coffers, saying that such was far above N60 million remitted by the board in its past 38 years of existence.

Earlier, the Oloyede-led administration had come up with a policy that whatever would be done must be on the table and not under the table, a decision that changed the narratives such that the board now posts heavy returns to the CRF.

“These returns were bolstered by the board’s expanded internal capacities for its operations achieved through direct execution of its processes and procedures, which instantly resulted in saving of N1.2b being paid annually to a service provider and a downward review of the N1.2b being annually paid to another to the tune of N400 million to the same old service provider,” the statement reads in part.

According to the board, this is in addition to the recovery of over N1.2billion in both cash and estates in choice areas of Abuja in 2016. The steps and many others ensured that JAMB, which had remitted cumulatively about N55 million to the national treasury in its 40 years of existence, now rendered N7.8billion in Oloyede’s first year in office, contributing over N27b directly into the national treasury.

The statement continued: “The remitted amount is without prejudice to the 30% reduction in its application fee of N10.8 billion in four years since the reduction; Capital Fund of N11 billion including N6b yet to be committed; Annual Awards/Grants to Tertiary Institutions for Capital Projects amounting to N1b and Special Staff Welfare Scheme of N2b. This would aggregate the cumulative surplus to about N54b over the last six years.

Meanwhile, the board in a statement issued at the end of its management committee meeting held to appraise the recent crisis witnessed in the conduct of the 2023 Direct Entry (DE) registration, acknowledged that the crisis was birthed by the implementation of some of its newly-adopted processes aimed at curbing infractions in the admission value chain given our national peculiarities.

In a bid to address all loopholes giving rise to abuses in the DE admission processes, the board held that all DE candidates, which comprise those seeking to be in Year Two in the universities, would henceforth, be required to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) alongside other candidates to justify the possession of their A Level certificates.

“This policy is to be situated within the ambit of the Board’s relentless efforts aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation’s education sector as it would promote transparency, accountability and good governance. It also underscores the board’s commitment and determination towards changing the negative narrative of A Level admissions into higher institutions in Nigeria,” the statement added. (The Guardian)

•Prof. Is-haq Oloyede

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