The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has tendered an apology to the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies after its officials abruptly walked out of an earlier budget scrutiny session.
On October 29, a JAMB delegation led by Morouf Bello, a director in the registrar’s office, left a scheduled meeting convened to review the board’s budget, assess its utilisation of funds, verify remittances to the consolidated revenue fund, and examine bank statements from 2023 to date.
During Thursday’s sitting at the National Assembly, the examination body submitted all documents earlier requested by the committee.
Committee chairman Oboku Oforji said the investigation stemmed from a House resolution passed on May 15, following concerns raised about the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
He further noted that the House is proposing the establishment of at least one computer-based test (CBT) centre in each of the 774 local government areas to prevent future disruptions and ensure wider access for candidates.
Oforji explained that the panel will scrutinise JAMB’s budget implementation, its internally generated revenue (IGR) from 2023 to date, evidence of remittances to the consolidated revenue fund (CRF), and the agency’s bank statements over the same period.
He emphasised that the investigation is not a witch-hunt and urged cooperation from ministries, departments, and agencies to enable effective oversight.
The committee chair also condemned the behaviour of JAMB officials during the previous meeting, warning that no act of disrespect toward the parliament would be tolerated.
“We will not allow ministries or agencies to intimidate or disrespect the parliament,” he said.
Oforji confirmed receipt of all documents submitted by JAMB and said the committee would review them before issuing further communication.
JAMB Registrar Ishaq Oloyede apologised for the earlier incident, stressing that he holds deep respect for the parliament and would not sanction any conduct that undermines its authority. He added that the board has now complied fully with the committee’s requests.