The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies has firmly rejected accusations of extorting funds from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and other examination bodies. The panel clarified that all monies paid by JAMB for a specific oversight assignment were fully refunded, countering a growing narrative of legislative misconduct.
The Core of the Controversy: A N62.7 Million Transaction
At the heart of the matter is a sum of N62.7 million transferred by JAMB to the committee on October 8, 2025. This payment was intended to cover logistics for the committee's planned inspection of JAMB's underage examination programme across three centres: Abuja, Lagos, and Owerri. The oversight was part of a broader investigation launched by the House in March 2025 into a technical error that affected the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
However, due to legislative scheduling conflicts, the committee members were only able to visit one centre in Abuja. Consequently, the panel initiated a refund of N43 million to JAMB on November 11, citing the incomplete exercise. The refund was processed via the Treasury Single Account (TSA) number 0020125461019.
Escalation, Apology, and a Second Refund
The situation escalated when a JAMB delegation, led by Director Mufutau Bello, walked out of a committee hearing on October 29 after lawmakers refused their request for a closed-door session. JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, later appeared before the committee on November 16, apologized for the incident, and finally submitted the requested documents.
In a surprising turn, following Oloyede's appearance, JAMB returned the funds to the committee on November 17. The committee, stating it had no justification to keep money for activities not fully executed, proceeded to refund the entire amount to JAMB again on November 19. A member of the committee emphasized this point, arguing that "If the intention were to extort or divert money, there would have been no refunds — certainly not twice."
Committee Rejects Broader Extortion Allegations
Following the refunds, reports emerged alleging that the committee, chaired by Oboku Abonsizibe Oforji, had made similar financial demands from other examination bodies like WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, and NBAIS under the guise of oversight. The committee has categorically denied these wider extortion allegations.
In support of the committee's position, Amos Dangut, the head of WAEC's Nigeria office, publicly denied that any monetary demands were made from his organization. Furthermore, the committee highlighted that no consultant has petitioned the National Assembly or anti-corruption agencies over claims of coercion, contradicting anonymous sources in media reports.
The panel maintains that its actions were transparent, evidenced by traceable bank transfers, and were strictly within the scope of its constitutional oversight duties to investigate JAMB's operations and financial remittances.
