Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has apologised to the House of Representatives over the disrespectful attitude of some of the board’s officials to the lawmakers.
Oloyede tendered the apology when he appeared before the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies to present documents earlier requested by panel.
JAMB officials led by a director, Mufutau Bello, had staged a walkout on the committee during scrutiny of the board’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) implementation, evidence of remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and bank statements from 2023 to date.
Bello who represented the registrar had asked journalists covering the hearing to vacate the room, claiming the documents he was to present contained sensitive information.
The committee rejected his request, insisting that its proceedings were public and that it was constitutionally empowered to determine how its sessions were conducted.
Bello thereafter directed his team to leave, and abruptly walked out of the hearing to the disdain of the lawmakers.
In his apology, the JAMB registrar said as someone who had served the country at various places and in different capacities, he had enormous respect for authorities, especially the parliament and would not do or allow anything that would undermine its authority, disrespect or ignore its directives.
Oloyede expressed readiness of the board to work collaboratively with the committee assuring that such an incidence would not occur again.
The registrar stated that all the documents requested by the committee had been submitted.
The committee chairman, Hon. Oboku Oforji, said the investigation followed a resolution of the House on a motion of urgent public importance on May 15, 2025.
He condemned the behaviour of the JAMB director, Bello at the panel’s last engagement, warning that the committee would not condone any act of disrespect from any agency of government or its official.
He stated that based on the resolution, the House sought to address the crisis faced during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) examination conducted by JAMB and suggested that at least one Computer-Based Testing (CBT) centre be constructed in each of the 774 local government areas across the country to prevent what occurred during the examinations.
“In view of this, the committee will hear from JAMB on all these and on how the implementation and performance of the agency’s budget/Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from 2023 to date were carried out in compliance with existing laws, evidence of the remittances made to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), as well as the board’s bank statement of account from 2023 to date.
“It is important to clarify to my esteemed colleagues, the agency, and the general public that, this committee is not engaging in any form of witch-hunt against our agencies.
“We encourage all agencies to fully cooperate fully by responding to any requests for documents or information and to participate in briefings with the committee. This cooperation is crucial for us to carry out our duties effectively as a parliament,” he added.
