The Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, have dismissed allegations of financial impropriety against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) saying the accusation is baseless and totally unfounded.
Both unions which operate within the JAMB premises, described the allegations as figments of the imagination of one Yisa Usman, a former staff of JAMB who was dismissed from the agency.
According to NASU’s Branch Chairman at JAMB, Comrade Andrew Onakpa, in a statement jointly signed by his ASCSN counterpart, Comrade Ebenezer Ayelabola, Usman ochestrated the allegation of financial mismanagement to tarnish the reputation of the Board and undermine its management’s welfare initiatives.
Recall that Usman, who was dismissed from service, claimed that funds were misallocated to individuals.
Both ASCSN and NASU executives challenged Usman to explain how staff received payments before 2016 if not through their personal accounts—including his own.
“With the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), all staff, including Mr. Usman, received advances directly into their accounts. If he has evidence to the contrary, he should provide it.
“His assertion that the Board self-declared as a Government-Owned Enterprise (GOE) reflects a lack of understanding. The Federal Government, through existing laws, designated the Board as a GOE, and it is obligated to comply with government directives.
“Mr. Usman also criticizes the staff housing scheme, failing to acknowledge that government regulations permit housing initiatives for individual home acquisition through grants and loans. What is restricted is the government’s ownership and maintenance of official housing, not such welfare-driven programs,” they noted in a joint statement in Abuja.
The unions while criticising Usman, said he has repeatedly petitioned various government agencies, all of which have thoroughly investigated and cleared the Board.
According to them, the agencies that have investigated and cleared JAMB include: Office of the Immediate Past Vice-President of Nigeria, the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
Others are the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit, PICA, of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Accountant General of the Federation and the Auditor General of the Federation.
“Each of these investigations found no wrongdoing on the part of the Board. However, instead of accepting these findings, Mr. Usman resorted to disparaging these institutions, further proving his bad faith,” the statement added.
