The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been trending all day in Twitter Nigeria as the exam body gets the accolade of Nigerians for remitting yet some new billions to the Federal treasury.
JAMB announced on Monday that it has made an interim remittance of N3.5 billion to the Federal Government consolidated revenue account, although lower than the N5billion remitted last year.
The agency has phenomenally improved remittances since Professor Ishaq Oloyede took over in 2017.
In the same year, the agency remitted N7.8billion, a sharp contrast to 2015 and 2016 when no dime was remitted.
In 2014, the agency only sent N13.9m to the treasury. In 2013 it was N25.3m. It was zero remittance in 2012 and 2010 and N11.5million in 2011.
Nigerians who applauded the agency and its leadership did not lose sight of the fact that the agency’s contribution to the pool decreased because of the reduction in the cost of the forms to N3,500 from N4,000-N6,000 previously charged.
“Professor ishaq oleyede is the kind of man we want as a leader in every sector of Nigerians governance.”, wrote Vickie @sure_girl.
“He has been returning excess JAMB money in billions since 2017..the man shows honesty, integrity and good accountability. he should be promoted”, she added.
Some other comments however will want government to go further to reduce the cost of exams.
Oluseun Onigbinde of BudgIT, kickstarted this by saying that JAMB is not a revenue making agency and should not be remitting surplus to the treasury.
“Please reduce the cost of exams. You aren’t a revenue-generating agency.Let’s focus on those that bleed Nigeria billions”, Onigbinde tweeted.
But another Nigerian replied:
Unpatriotic NIGERIANS and looters apologists,are the most confused& dumbest,on SM debate. How can you be asking,if jamb #JAMB ,is revenue generating https://t.co/EYSIsySTJj what is prof supposed to do with the 7b+?To use it to buy&build personal properties,like his predecessors?
— Gen.Joe Agha Otuosorochi (@aghajoseph) May 5, 2020
Yet another Nigerian called Zinny recommended that JAMB should use the excess revenue to improve the ambience of exam centres countrywide.
“Seriously #jamb should be using the money to improve facilities for writing jamb….create comfortable jamb centers than remitting the money to government…
“This money can also be kept for next jamb then reduce the jamb fees because many people miss jamb cos of the fees”, he tweeted.
A statement by Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Head of Media in Abuja anouncing the remittance had triggered the flurry of comments.
Benjamin said the remittance was in line with Prof. Ishaq Oloyede’s avowed commitment to remit wholly, excess funds generated from its operations, to the Federal Government.
According to him, a payment of over N3.5 billion had already been made to candidates by way of reduction of N1,500 from the cost of each ePIN sold to each candidate as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“From the outset, it had been the intention of the present leadership of the Board to return to federal coffers, whatever is left un-utilised from its operational imperatives.
“The immediate benefit of the move manifested in the reduction by President Buhari of the UTME Registration fee payable by candidates from N5000 to N3,500 which entails the transfer of over N3 billion to candidates and guardians annually via the reduction in the cost of application documents,” he said.
Benjamin added that before the reduction in the cost of application EPINs, the Board had remitted over N7 billion in 2017 and replicated same in subsequent years.
He said that this could be attributed to the gracious action by the Buhari administration’s unprecedented decision to give back to candidates a percentage of the cost of registration.
“To sustain the gesture, the Board will continue to come up with innovations on ways to ensure that candidates are provided with world-class services at modest cost as obtained anywhere in the world,” he said
