The House of Representatives has directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to transfer N3.602 billion to the Federal Government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). During an investigative hearing in Abuja, Rep. Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, emphasized that the remittance is a legal obligation, not open to personal interpretation, and is not related to JAMB’s arguments about the 25 percent versus 50 percent allocation. The Committee has instructed JAMB to make the payment to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and provide proof of the remittance within 30 days. The FRC had previously brought JAMB before the Committee for failing to remit operating surpluses. FRC representative Mr. Bello Aliyu confirmed that as of 2021, the liabilities amounted to 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. We have notified them via our letter written on 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,” he said.
This, according to him, was 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 N5000 to N3500, 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
