NASS has excluded JAMB from the 2025 Budget Grant over gross financial mismanagement.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the National Assembly (NASS) has decided not to include the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the Federal Government’s 2025 budget grant.
The decision was made Monday after JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede presented revenue projections for 2025 to the Senate and House of Representatives joint committee in an interactive session.
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The session was chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).
Oloyede disclosed that JAMB remitted N4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2024 while also receiving N6 billion in government grants for the same period. This prompted committee members to oppose the arrangement, saying it was unreasonable for an independent agency.
Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Abiodun Faleke, questioned, “You remitted N4 billion and received N6 billion from the Federal Government. Why not keep the N4 billion and stop the government from funding JAMB?”
JAMB was also criticised by Senator Adams Oshiomhole for spending N1.1 billion on refreshments and meals in 2024, N850 million on security, cleaning, and fumigation, and N600 million on local travels in 2024.
“Are you being freely fed by the government? This money comes from poor students, many of whom are orphans,” Oshiomhole said.
Oshiomhole also called for a detailed breakdown of other significant expenses, such as the N6.5 billion allocated for local training and N1 billion for a staff housing scheme.
Such financial practices, according to the lawmakers, demonstrate inefficiency and poor management, which calls for the removal of government funding.
Senator Sani Musa also expressed broader concerns about low remittances by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to the federation account.
He noted that this discrepancy hampers the government’s ability to fund critical infrastructure projects and social services, raising issues of inefficiency, mismanagement, and potential revenue leakages.
