The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has directed the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to remit N3,602,605,277 to the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), as stipulated by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
Mr. Bamidele Salam, Chairman of the Committee, issued the order following a dispute over JAMB’s operating surplus. He emphasised that remittances should not be subject to personal interpretation, questioning the discrepancy between the 25% and 50% remittance figures.
Mr. Bello Aliyu from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission reported that, according to records, JAMB’s liabilities amounted to N390,725,324 as of 2021. However, after reviewing JAMB’s 2022 audited financial statements, the liabilities were recalculated to N3,602,605,277. The Commission had notified JAMB of this figure through letters dated March 14, 2024, and August 31, 2024, but received no response.
JAMB’s Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Mufutau Bello, explained that the variation in remittance figures arose from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission’s push to increase the remittance rate to 50%. He noted that, due to a commitment to reducing registration fees from N5000 to N3500 in 2019, JAMB had consistently remitted 25% of its revenue and had not increased fees for the past eight years.
Aliyu countered that, under the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the 2021 Finance Act, partially funded agencies like JAMB are required to remit 50% of their gross revenue. This, he said, was the basis for calculating JAMB’s new liability.
The Committee expressed frustration over JAMB’s lack of response to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission’s letters and ordered the board to remit N3,602,605,277 to the CRF within 30 days, providing evidence of the payment.
In a related development, the Public Accounts Committee has also instructed the Investment and Security Tribunal (IST) to remit N6,327,049.85 to the federal government. The audit report by the Auditor-General identified several issues, including unsupported payments totalling N11,698,329.40, non-remittance of statutory taxes amounting to N1,407,544.85, extra-budgetary spending of N3,159,129.75, and cash advances exceeding N200,000 totalling N1,760,376.00.
IST Chief Registrar Mr. Shehu Kuta claimed that the Auditor did not raise these issues during the audit and that supporting documents for payments are available. He admitted to the failure to deduct statutory taxes and acknowledged the violations related to cash advances. The Tribunal was instructed to remit the amount and face additional financial sanctions as per regulations.