By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has started its defense by refuting the claims of prodigious spending in the 2024 budget, especially in respect to local travels and the fumigation of its offices across the country.
The need to set the record straight came in response to allegations by lawmakers during the 2025 budget defence that the Board spent N1.1 billion on staff feeding and N850 million on fumigating its offices nationwide in 2024.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, spokesperson for JAMB, issued a statement on Tuesday, explaining that the statements attributed to the lawmakers were either misrepresentations or deliberate attempts to misinform the public.
“It is crucial to note that what JAMB, on the prompting of the joint committee of both the Senate and the House of Representatives on finance for the 2025 budget defence, presented was not the 2024 expenditure but solely the 2025 budget proposal, which means that claims regarding alleged humongous spending in 2024 on meals or fumigation, security, and cleaning are totally unfounded.
“During the session, there was no presentation of any 2024 expenditure of N1.1 billion for feeding nor N850 million for fumigation. Among the items included in the 2025 budget proposal was the provision of one meal per day for the 2,300 staff members of the Board nationwide (cleaners/security included), covering all working days throughout the year.
“Over the past two years, the cost of providing this meal for headquarters staff (in the 2 offices in the Board) was N1,200 per day, per staff. But due to rising food prices, vendors have requested an increase to N2,200 (including 13.5% taxes).
“Based on this new price, the total cost for providing meals for 2,300 staff members throughout the working days in 2025 is projected to be N1.27 billion, but JAMB budgeted N1.1 billion for this purpose”, Dr. Benjamin said.
Benjamin stated that the initiative to provide meals was in recognition of the sensitive responsibilities of JAMB staff, the need to minimise their exposure to the public during work hours, and to avoid the danger that eating in the offices posed to ICT infrastructure.
He said the management sought and obtained approval to start providing lunch at the headquarters, with plans to extend the initiative to all offices nationwide in response to consistent requests from out-of-station employees.
He also highlighted that another significant provision in the budget proposal was the N850 million earmarked for the emoluments of outsourced cleaners, security personnel, cleaning materials, fumigation services, and taxes.
He narrated: “In compliance with government policy on outsourcing, JAMB engaged firms and agencies that provide 386 security personnel and 194 cleaners across its over 40 offices and PTC centres nationwide. The N850 million in the budget proposal covers running and operational costs, with only N2 million specifically earmarked for fumigation services for the year (it was less than N1 million in 2024).
“This budget reflects the recent salary review mandated by the government, and it is misleading to suggest that a meaningful portion of the budget is solely dedicated to fumigation when the least paid of the security personnel earns the minimum pay of N30,000.00, which is now projected to be N70,000.00, while cleaners’ pay would be, at least, doubled.”
He pointed out that the clarification was vital to prevent misinformation in the public space, as the submitted provisions represent a budget proposal rather than expenditures already incurred by the Board in 2024.
He further stated that all capital, overhead, and operational costs of JAMB are met from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), while the government covers the salaries of only pensionable JAMB staff.
Sun
