The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), have debunked allegations of financial mismanagement against the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as baseless and unfounded.
NASU’s Branch Chairman at JAMB, Comrade Andrew Onakpa, in a statement jointly signed by his ASCSN counterpart, Comrade Ebenezer Ayelabola, described the allegations as nothing more than an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Board and undermine its management’s welfare initiatives.
The union leaders stated that the allegations being circulated by one Yisa Usman, a former staff of JAMB, who was dismissed from service, claiming that funds were misallocated to individuals, is a desperate effort to discredit the Board.
The unions 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.
Furthermore, 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,” the unions said.
The unions further emphasize that Usman 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 said.
The unions claimed that Usman has had a troubling history since his dismissal—mandated by the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to them, Usman has continuously spread defamatory and false information.
“He has already been prosecuted twice for providing false information and defaming a police officer. Rather than showing remorse, he persists in making baseless allegations to damage the Board’s reputation.
“Ironically, Mr. Usman was in charge of five out of six finance department divisions during a period of significant financial misconduct.
“He only began raising concerns after being reassigned in 2017, despite rampant corruption occurring under his watch.
“The current management has since recovered millions of naira from that era, including properties now occupied by: the National Senior Secondary Education Commission in Maitama, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission in Garki, the Board’s Abuja Zonal Office Complex in Kado, Life Camp,” the said.
The unions urged Usman and his backers to cease their support for his smear campaign, adding that the integrity of JAMB’s management has been hard-earned, and they will not stand by while its reputation is attacked.
