The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued an apology to the house of representatives committee on basic education and examination bodies after its officials walked out on the panel during a previous meeting.
On October 29, JAMB officials led by Morouf Bello, a director in the registrar’s office, left a session convened to review the board’s budget, examine its financial management, verify remittances to the consolidated revenue fund, and assess its bank statements from 2023 to date.
During Thursday’s sitting at the national assembly, the board submitted all documents earlier requested by the committee.
Oboku Oforji, the committee chairman, said the investigation stems from a house resolution based on a motion of urgent public importance adopted on May 15.
He explained that the goal is to address the issues encountered during the 2025 unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) and noted that lawmakers have proposed establishing at least one computer-based test (CBT) centre in each of the 774 LGAs to avoid future disruptions.
Oforji added that the committee will scrutinise JAMB’s budget implementation, internally generated revenue (IGR) from 2023 to date, evidence of remittances to the consolidated revenue fund (CRF), and the board’s bank statements for the same period.
He clarified that the panel is not conducting a witch-hunt and emphasised the need for cooperation from government agencies for proper legislative oversight.
The chairman criticised the earlier conduct of the JAMB delegation, warning that no further acts of disrespect toward the parliament would be tolerated.
He also confirmed receipt of the documents provided, adding that the committee would review them before engaging the board again.
Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB registrar, apologised for the previous incident involving the board’s representative, stressing his respect for the parliament and noting that he would not endorse any action that undermines its authority.
He reaffirmed that JAMB has now submitted all the documents requested by the committee.