N/Assembly Queries N1.1bn Meal Expenditure, Threatens To Halt Federal Grant To JAMB In 2025 Budget
•By Our Reporter
ABUJA – The National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance has threatened to suspend the Federal Government’s grant to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the 2025 budget proposal.
The committee’s stance followed a presentation by JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who appeared before the joint Senate and House of Representatives committee to defend the agency’s budget estimates for 2025.
In his breakdown of JAMB’s 2024 budget performance, Oloyede disclosed that the agency remitted ₦4 billion to the Consolidated Revenue Fund but received a ₦6 billion grant from the Federal Government.
The revelation sparked criticism from committee members, including Hon. Abiodun Faleke and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who questioned why a revenue-generating agency like JAMB should depend on federal allocations.
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“You remitted ₦4 billion and got ₦6 billion from the Federal Government. Why not keep the ₦4 billion and let the government stop funding JAMB entirely?” Hon. Faleke, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, queried.
Senator Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, also expressed disapproval of the agency’s expenditure, particularly its spending on administrative costs.
“You spent ₦1.1 billion on meals and refreshments. Are government funds being used to feed you? This means you are spending money generated from poor students, many of whom are orphans,” Oshiomhole said.
The senator further criticized JAMB’s allocation of ₦850 million for security, cleaning, and fumigation in 2024. “What exactly did you fumigate? Was it mosquitoes that cost this much?” he asked.
He also questioned the agency’s expenditure of ₦600 million on local travels and called for justification of ₦6.5 billion spent on local training programs.
•INDEPENDENTNG.