JAMB Registrar Clears Air on Alleged Misrepresentation in 2025 Budget Proposal

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has addressed concerns surrounding alleged misrepresentations in the 2025 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at a side event in Abuja on Tuesday, Oloyede dismissed circulating reports suggesting that the Board had spent large sums on fumigation, meals, and other items in 2024. He described these claims as misrepresentations of the facts.

Earlier, a statement from JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin, clarified that the document presented to the National Assembly was not the 2024 expenditure but rather the 2025 budget proposal. Therefore, allegations regarding excessive spending in 2024 on meals, fumigation, security, and cleaning were unfounded.

Oloyede emphasized that the total expenditure for fumigation across all states in 2024 was less than N1 million. “Let me state unequivocally that I did not present any 2024 budget performance to the National Assembly. It was a misunderstanding,” Oloyede said. “We did not spend any enormous amount in 2024. The total cost for fumigation across all offices nationwide was under N1 million, and the budgeted amount for fumigation in 2025 is under N2 million.”

He explained that the confusion stemmed from the fact that the detailed breakdown of the budget proposal was not fully reviewed during the presentation. “We provided the breakdown with annotations to highlight the details, but we did not go through all the pages during the presentation,” he noted.Addressing the claim of N6.5 billion allegedly spent on training in 2024, Oloyede clarified that the figure referred to a proposal for 2025, which includes expenses for various budget lines such as examination monitoring, admission-related costs, e-facilities, and awards for top higher education institutions.

“We have 10,500 examiners and invigilators conducting both the mock and UTME exams. Some stay for up to 10 days. The government determines their Daily Time Allowance (DTA), not me. So, what’s wrong with accounting for their claims?” he asked.

On the reported high spending on meals, Oloyede explained that JAMB provides one meal per day for staff at the headquarters. “We do this to ensure the integrity of our system. We cannot allow people to bring food from outside as it could damage our ICT infrastructure,” he said. “We have created a canteen to meet this need, and for 2025, we plan to provide meals for 2,300 staff members, which totals over N1 billion for the year.”

Regarding calls for a reduction in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) fee, Oloyede stated, “I have done what is required. We reduced the fee from N5,000 to N3,500, which is the lowest in the world for any admission process unless you want it to be free. I assure you that I, Is-haq Oloyede, will never misappropriate funds.”

Oloyede also addressed concerns about the proposed budget for cleaners and security personnel. “We have 580 security officers and 194 cleaners across all states. With the recent increase in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, their salaries are now reflected in the budget,” he explained.

He expressed hope that the National Assembly committee would provide an opportunity for further clarification to resolve any lingering misunderstandings.

In an earlier statement, Dr. Fabian Benjamin reiterated that the 2025 budget proposal, not the 2024 expenditure, was presented to the National Assembly. He explained that the proposal includes provisions for meals, security, cleaning, and fumigation services for JAMB staff across the country.

The statement read: “On Monday, January 13, 2025, JAMB appeared before the Joint Committee of both the Senate and House of Representatives on Finance to defend its 2025 budget proposal, in line with statutory requirements. It is important to note that the figures presented were for the 2025 budget proposal, not the 2024 expenditure.”

Regarding meals, the Board has proposed N1.27 billion for 2025 to cover the cost of providing lunch for 2,300 staff members nationwide. The increase in food prices has led to a revised cost of N2,200 per meal. JAMB has also budgeted N850 million for outsourced cleaners, security personnel, and related services.

The statement further clarified that JAMB has engaged outsourcing firms to provide 386 security officers and 194 cleaners across over 40 offices and PTC centres nationwide. The N850 million allocated covers operational costs, with only N2 million designated for fumigation services.

Finally, Oloyede emphasized that JAMB’s budget is funded through its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), with the government covering only the salaries of pensionable staff. He also explained that the N6.4 billion proposed for “Local Travel and Transport (Training)” was a mandatory categorization under government regulations, covering over 10,500 staff involved in the 2025 UTME and related activities.

JAMB remains committed to managing its resources responsibly, in line with the expectations of the government and the public.