Reps demand approval documents over JAMB's N3bn spending

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The House of Representatives has demanded documentary evidence of legislative approval from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over a N3bn payment for staff benefits, questioning the legality of consolidating funds appropriated across three fiscal years.
The lawmakers also queried the board's expenditure of N710m on computer-related items, against an approved allocation of N220m, raising concerns about possible extra-budgetary spending.
The House Committee on Examination Bodies made the demands during an oversight meeting with JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, and members of his management team.
The committee's scrutiny also covered N874m reportedly spent on meals and refreshments and N696m on travel and transportation.
Explaining the N3bn payment, Aina said the money was used to settle accumulated obligations under an additional staff benefit scheme originally conceived as a housing programme.
He explained that JAMB had made annual provisions of N1bn for the scheme in 2024, 2025 and 2026 before consolidating the funds to meet outstanding obligations.
However, the explanation did not satisfy the lawmakers, who questioned whether the board could transfer and combine appropriations from previous financial years without specific legislative approval.
Committee Chairman, Oboku Oforji, insisted that budgetary allocations were tied to particular fiscal periods and could not automatically be carried forward or redirected.
He consequently demanded documents showing that the National Assembly had approved the conversion of the housing scheme provisions into pension contributions.
The committee also raised concerns over the board's computer-related expenditure, noting that several budget lines appeared to contain overlapping provisions for computer purchases and consumables.
The lawmakers demanded an explanation for the additional N490m spent above the N220m approved for the items.
In his response, Aina acknowledged the need for improved presentation of JAMB's financial records, explaining that some documents submitted to the committee contained figures from different budget years, possibly accounting for the discrepancies.
Beyond the financial questions, the lawmakers challenged the board to address difficulties candidates encounter during examinations, particularly the shortage of examination centres in some communities.
A committee member cited Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, where candidates reportedly travel to neighbouring local government areas to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination because of the absence of a centre.
The lawmakers urged Aina to expand examination facilities and address other challenges affecting candidates.
The registrar, who assumed office on August 1, 2026, said his administration was implementing reforms to restore public confidence and improve access to JAMB services.
He disclosed that the board had introduced a National Identification Number Alignment Service in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission to resolve discrepancies in candidates' personal information.
According to him, the initiative would help candidates harmonise their records with NIMC and address identity-related difficulties that had prevented some graduates from participating in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Aina also announced a partnership with the West African Examinations Council, National Examinations Council and National Business and Technical Examinations Board to introduce electronic verification of O'Level results.
He said the initiative would enable candidates to access and verify their results electronically without necessarily visiting JAMB offices.
At the end of the meeting, the committee gave the registrar and his management team another opportunity to review and resubmit their financial documents alongside supporting evidence.
The lawmakers said a fresh hearing date would be communicated after the board had addressed the outstanding queries, stressing the need for transparency and compliance with approved budgetary provisions.