Senate Clarifies Misrepresented Report of N1.1b, N850m fraud Against JAMB Registrar

By Chinedu Echianu

The Senate has clarified on Wednesday that reports of N1.1 billion spent on meals and entertainment and N850 million spent on security and insecticide in the aftermath of Monday’s budget defence session by the Joint Administration and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was misrepresented in the media.

Reacting in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, the Senate Committee Chairman on Finance, Senator Sani Musa stated that the comprehensive report of the Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede was in compliance with the standard set for public accountability and the line of items as contained in the report was never in breach of public accounts.

The lawmaker said, it was a legislative standard for heads of government agencies to explain their previous year’s budget performance before seeking approval of fresh appropriation, hence, the line of items as contained in the JAMB’s report was in order.

The statement states: “For the purpose of clarity, the comprehensive report provided by JAMB indicates that the line items mentioned during Monday’s hearing on revenue do not suggest any mismanagement or misuse of the Board’s funds.

“On the contrary, the report highlights the responsible and prudent use of resources under the leadership of the Registrar.

“The Registrar Professor Is-haq Oloyede, deserves commendation for demonstrating financial discipline and accountability in managing the Board’s resources effectively. This level of stewardship serves as a model for public institutions across the nation.”

It would be recalled that the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance for their budget defence on Monday.

END