The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has denied claims of being queried by the National Assembly over an alleged expenditure on meals, refreshments, and security.
In a statement released by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s spokesperson, the Board clarified that its recent appearance before the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Finance was strictly to defend its 2025 budget proposal, not to account for 2024 expenditures.
Dr. Benjamin emphasized that the allegations of excessive spending in 2024 are baseless.
“It is crucial to note that what JAMB on the prompting of the Committee presented was not the 2024 expenditure but solely the 2025 budget proposal, which meant that claims regarding humongous spending in 2024 on meals or fumigation, security, and cleaning are totally unfounded,” he said.
He further clarified that there was no presentation of any 2024 expenditure of N1.1 billion for feeding or N850 million for fumigation.
Backstory
Several media agencies reported that the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance raised concerns about the spending patterns of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) during the presentation of its 2025 budget proposal. Committee members criticized the agency for what they described as excessive spending.
- According to the reports, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede stated that it remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2024 but received a N6 billion grant from the Federal Government.
- This sparked backlash from lawmakers, including Abiodun Faleke, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
Faleke questioned why a self-funding agency like JAMB should receive government allocations, asking, “Why not keep the N4 billion and stop government funding for JAMB?” Similarly, Oshiomhole criticized JAMB for its expenses, particularly the reported N1.1 billion on meals and refreshments, N850 million on security and cleaning, and N600 million on local travels. He demanded justification for the N6.5 billion allocated to local training, asking, “What did you fumigate? Is it mosquitoes that took all this money?”
Clarification on provision for meals in the 2025 budget
The board disclosed that among the items included in the 2025 budget proposal is the provision of one meal per day for the 2,300 staff members, including cleaners and security personnel, across JAMB’s offices nationwide.
- Dr. Benjamin explained that the cost of providing meals for headquarters staff had been N1,200 per day per staff member over the past two years. Due to rising food prices, vendors have requested an increase to N2,200 (including 13.5% taxes).
“Based on this new price, the total cost for providing meals for the 2,300 staff members throughout the working days in 2025 is projected to be N1.27 billion, but JAMB has budgeted N1.1 billion for this purpose,” he said.
- He justified the initiative as necessary to minimize staff exposure to the public during working hours and prevent risks to ICT infrastructure posed by eating in the offices.
The initiative, which began at the headquarters, is now planned for extension to all 2,300 workers nationwide.
Budget allocation for outsourced services
Dr. Benjamin also addressed the N850 million allocated for outsourced services, including cleaners, security personnel, cleaning materials, and fumigation.
“In compliance with government policy on outsourcing, JAMB has engaged firms and agencies that provide 386 security personnel and 194 cleaners across its over forty offices and PTC centers nationwide,” he said
He noted that only N2 million was specifically earmarked for fumigation services for 2025, compared to less than N1 million in 2024. The budget reflects a recent salary review mandated by the government, ensuring that the least-paid security personnel now earn a minimum of N70,000, while cleaners’ pay is at least doubled from the current N30,000 minimum wage.
Local travel and transport allocation
The 2025 budget also includes N6.4 billion for “Local Travel and Transport (Training)” to cover over 10,500 staff and officials conducting the 2025 UTME mock examination and other engagements.
Dr. Benjamin explained that this allocation complies with the Budget Information Management Monitoring System (BIMMS) for Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs).
“As a Government-Owned Enterprise, JAMB is compelled to comply with the Budget Information Management Monitoring System (BIMMS) for GOEs, and that explains why the amount was lumped under the heading but with an asterisk and details provided on the succeeding page of the submission, which the Board was disallowed to explain,” he said.
Dr. Benjamin clarified that JAMB funds all capital, overhead, and operational costs from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while the government only covers the salaries of pensionable staff.
He emphasized that the submitted provisions represent a budget proposal, not expenditures already incurred.
