The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAM), says it followed the Federal Character Principles in the agency’s job recruitment exercise from 2015 till date.
The Registrar of the Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede gave the confirmation while appearing at the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Federal Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) Parastatals and Tertiary Institutions on Mismanagement Personnel Recruitment, Employment Racketeering and Gross Mismanagement of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, (IPPIS), in Abuja.
He said the Board had sorted and got waiver from the relevant agencies to employ staff to replace those that had left.
Prof Oloyede, while responding to questions from the Committee members said that the board had five sets of recruitment from 2015 to date.
On why JAMB seek for waiver to recruit over three hundred people instead of advertising, the Registrar, said that it was due to exigencies of duty.
“We used the waiver because we believe the exigency of the time and the nature of our work deserves it. We are to advertise for the three hundred, we wouldn’t be able to meet up with what we needed them for,” Prof Oloyede said.
He said that JAMB had about twelve to thirteen centres coming on board and they needed people to man them.
“I believe very strongly that it was very very necessary at that time that we recruited and I assure we did not surcharge those who are qualified,” he said.
He said that to the best of his ability, the recruitment followed due process.
The Chairman of the Ad-hoc committee, Hon Yusuf Gagdi, said that JAMB cannot be exonerated for not advertising vacancies.
He said that by not advertising the vacancy, ordinary Nigerians have been robbed of the opportunity to get employment.
“What makes you think advertising wouldn’t have been better? You have the capacity to screen the people that apply to get better hands to do those jobs. I’m asking this because we are most interested in correcting the fraud associated with waivers,” Gagdi said.
He said that recruiting about three hundred staff through waiver was against the federal character.
He noted that waivers were to be granted only if any agency was collapsing.
The committee also received briefing from the Directorate of Technical Corps and the Vertinary Council of Nigeria as well as more victims of Job racketeering.
The committee is to continue its investigation with more agencies appearing.
