By Ngozi Nwankwo
Joint Admissions and Matriculation, JAMB,has again remitted N2billion as its interim surplus for the 2023 operating year, saying that more would be remitted as its operations for the years are completed.
This was contained in a press statement issued to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
It said, “This in furtherance of the pledge by the Prof. Is-haq Oloyede-led management, on assumption of duty, that it would leverage on technology and discipline to manage the affairs of the Board.
“Since assuming office the Prof. Is-haq Oloyede-led management has remitted over N55billion to the Federal Government coffers. This is far above the less than the N60million remitted by the Board in the 38 years of the existence of the Board prior to the appointment of Prof. Oloyede.
“On assumption of office of the current Registrar, he had come up with a policy which holds that whatever would be done, must be on the table. This has changed the narratives such that JAMB now posts humongous returns to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). These returns were bolstered by the Board’s expanded internal capacities for its operations achieved through direct execution of its processes and procedures, which instantly resulted in, for instance, a savings of N1.2billion being paid annually to a service provider and a downward review of the N1.2billion being annually paid to another to about N400million with the same old service provider. This in addition to the recovery of over N1.2billion in both cash and estates in choice areas of Abuja, in 2016.
“It was these steps and many others, which had ensured that the Board, which had remitted cumulatively in its 40 years of existence about N55 million to the national treasury, rendered N7.8billion in the first year of the assumption of office of Prof. Oloyede and has since contributed over N27billion directly into the national treasury. The remitted amount is without prejudice to the 30% reduction in its application fee (N10.8billion in 4 years since the reduction), Capital Fund (N11billion including N6billion, which is yet to be committed), Annual Awards/Grants to Tertiary Institutions for Capital Projects (N1billion) and Special Staff Welfare Scheme (N2billion). This would aggregate the cumulative surplus to about N54billion over the last six years.”
In another development, the Board has expressed its commitment to press ahead with its efforts to reposition the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria. In a statement issued at the end of its management committee meeting held to appraise the recent crisis witnessed in the conduct of the 2023 Direct Entry registration, the Board stated that the seeming crisis was birthed by the implementation of some of its newly-adopted processes aimed at curbing infractions in the admission value chain given our national peculiarities.
It said another major policy change also to be implemented by the Board to holistically address all loopholes giving rise to abuses in the Direct Entry admission processes is that all DE candidates, which comprise those seeking to be in Year Two in the universities, would henceforth be required to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME along with other candidates for them to justify the possession of their A’level certificates.
This policy, according to JAMB, is to be situated within the ambit of the Board’s relentless efforts aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation’s education sector as it would promote transparency, accountability and good governance.
The Board, however, said the policy underscores the Board’s commitment and determination towards changing the negative narrative of A’level admissions into higher institutions in Nigeria.