By FEMI OGUNSHOLA

The House of Representatives has ordered the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to remit N3.602 billion to the Federal Government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

Rep. Bamidele Salam, the Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, who gave the order during an investigative hearing in Abuja, said that the remittance demanded by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC).

Salam said that the remittance was not one that is subject to personal interpretation.

He said that it was a matter of law or regulation, and had nothing to do with the difference between the 25 percent and 50 percent as argued by JAMB.

The Committee unanimously ordered that JAMB should pay the sum to FRC and provide evidence of the remittance within 30 days.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the FRC had dragged JAMB before the committee over unremitted operating surplus.

Mr Bello Aliyu, the representative of FRC, said that as of 2021, and in agreement with the record submitted to the Committee, the liabilities were N390.725 million.

According to him, after the submission of that report, JAMB has submitted their 2022 audited financial statement; we have computed the liabilities and duly informed them.

“The new liability as of 2022 is N3.602 billion. This we have notified them via our letter written on the March 14, and another reminder, which we just submitted as of August 31.

“There was no response to the letter from the board,” he said.

Mr Mufutau Bello, Director, Finance and Administration, JAMB, while reacting to the allegation, said that the difference in remittances figure was that FRC wanted to move the board to 50 per cent of revenue.

“As an organisation in 2019, because of our commitment to revenue remittance, the Federal Government reduced the cost of our registration from N5,000 to N3,500.

This, according to him, is for the benefits of all Nigerians, as we have been following with passion a remittance of 25 per cent on a yearly basis, and we are in the education sector.

“We have not increased any of our charges in the last 8 years; rather, we reduced the fee from N5,000 to N3,500, which is 30 per cent of our revenue.

“The Accountant-General always gives us the concession to operate 25 per cent of remittances,” he said.

He said that the FRC believed that the board should move to 50 per cent, as against the 25 per cent concession given by the Office of the Accountant-General, which is the area of difference.

“If you judge us on 25 per cent, we have over-remitted over the years, and that’s what we have been doing,” he said. (NAN)

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