There was a drama in the National Assembly on Wednesday when the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) walked out on the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies during an investigative hearing.
The drama unfolded when the Committee, chaired by Hon. Oboku Oforji, convened a session to examine JAMB’s 2023–2024 budget performance, implementation, remittances to the Federation Account, and bank statements.
The Committee had invited the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, to appear in person and present the documents.
However, the Registrar sent a Director, Mr. Muftar Bello, to represent him.
The atmosphere became tense shortly after the session began. When it was time for introductions, the JAMB representative insisted that members of the press should leave the meeting, claiming that the documents he was to present contained “sensitive information.”
The committee, however, objected to the demand, maintaining that its proceedings were public and that it was within its constitutional powers to determine how its sittings were conducted.
The JAMB official became visibly agitated and, in an unexpected turn, stood up, directed his team to follow and walked out of the session, leaving members of the committee stunned.
Angered by the action, the committee immediately directed the Clerk to summon the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest the JAMB representative but he had already left the premises.
Reacting to the incident, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Oboku Oforji, described the walkout as “unfortunate and unacceptable,” stressing that the legislature would not tolerate acts of disrespect or attempts to obstruct its oversight duties.
“We wrote three consecutive letters to the Registrar of JAMB requesting these documents. To our surprise, the Registrar failed to appear, and instead sent a former Director of Finance and Accounts, who claimed the committee was out to embarrass them. That is very unfortunate,” Oforji said.
He added that the committee’s intention was not to witch-hunt any government agency but to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
“Our responsibility is to make sure that all agencies under our watch are accountable to Nigerians. We have no intention whatsoever to witch-hunt anyone,” he stated.
The committee has given JAMB until next Tuesday for the Registrar to appear in person with his management team to present the requested documents.
“Failure to do so will compel the committee to take necessary actions in line with the powers vested in us under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended,” the chairman warned.
Other members of the committee also reacted angrily to the development, describing JAMB’s conduct as a blatant show of disrespect to the National Assembly and, by extension, to the Nigerian people.
Member representing Andoni/ Opobo–Nkoro federal constituency, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Dagomie Abiante said the walkout amounted to contempt of Parliament. He described the incident as “most unfortunate,” warning that it set a dangerous precedent for accountability in governance.
“If JAMB can walk out on a committee of the National Assembly, it means they no longer see themselves as accountable to Nigerians. Oversight is a constitutional duty. When an agency refuses to answer questions about public funds, Nigerians have every reason to suspect something is wrong,” Abiante said.
The lawmaker added that JAMB’s posture raised doubts about the transparency of its financial dealings, recalling previous controversies over unremitted or missing funds in public offices.
“We have heard of instances where snake or something swallowed money. So probably a bigger swallow may have happened, and they have not prepared themselves for the autopsy. It’s unfortunate. And if this is what we call democracy, I do not understand where we are headed. We have institutions that have chosen not to be responsible to other arms of government, especially one that is constitutionally mandated to ensure public resources are not wasted,” he added.
Member representing Southern Ijaw federal constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. Rodney Amboiowei, also faulted JAMB’s request for a closed-door session, insisting that it contradicted the principles of transparency expected of public institutions.
“Public funds must be accounted for in the open. It is not JAMB’s right to dictate that a parliamentary session be held behind closed doors. This is how agencies get lawmakers into trouble. Nigerians deserve to know how their money is spent,” he said.
