The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has explained the circumstances that led to his organisation remitting N7.8 billion to government coffers as revenue in 2017 saying that government never expected such a huge amount from the agency.
Professor Oloyode made this revelation at the inauguration ceremony of members of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of JAMB headquarters, in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, which was being conducted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He said he had been charged to remit not more than N500 million for the year 2017.
His words, “A top government officer threatened JAMB to remit not more than N500 million to the government. Even the officer that was with me in that meeting advised that I should say we will be able to remit about N600 million or so. But at the end of the day, we remitted N7.8 billion.”
The Registrar maintained that his actions which were not meant to expose former Chief Executives of JAMB were purely a product of his anti-corruption reforms in the agency anchored on accountability and transparency in the management of finances.
He urged the members to use the ACTU platform that had been enabled by ICPC to tackle corruption in JAMB, while lamenting that the many corruption matters he has been handling within the agency were beginning to have an adverse effect on his other responsibilities.
Professor Oloyede also assured the ACTU members of unfettered support of the management, promising that he would not hesitate to spend his personal money to facilitate their work if the need arose.
According to him, “I can assure you of our total support, just as it will not be good for if corruption is traced to any of you. Funding will not be your problem because you will have more than what government is giving you and also because you will be relieving me of pursuing criminals.”
Earlier, acting Chairman of ICPC, Hon. Abdullahi Bako, who was represented by Mr. Justin Kuatsea, lauded the on-going anti-corruption reforms of JAMB which had recently uncovered alleged massive corruption in some of its state offices.
Hon. Bako noted that the achievements of JAMB in the anti-corruption fight was worthy of emulation by other government agencies.
On her own part, the Chairman of ACTU in JAMB, Mrs. Munirat Lawal, gave the assurance that the unit would deliver on its mandate by helping to reduce the incidence of corruption in the agency.
She added that the unit had already begun work by sensitizing staff against corruption and helping to close down some illegal centres for conduct of the Computer-Based Test (CBT).