The ad hoc House Committee investigating labor racketeering in federal agencies has refuted media reports that the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, was indicted by the panel for the recruitment of 300 people.
Committee chairman Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), resuming the hearing on Friday, said the committee did not indict JAMB or its registrar. Rather, the committee is only interested in fact finding.
Newslodge had reported that the committee asked Mr. Oloyede for hiring 300 people without advertising the positions in the newspapers.
Speaking about the investigation process, Gagdi said that the committee will submit its report to the House after the conclusion of its investigation.
“I want to say here that, in fact, do not take seriously any accusation report against anyone. This committee has not charged the JAMB Registrar, and we have not charged any institution.
“You can only say that after we submit our report. Reports are coming out that we have charged registrar JAMB. No, we haven’t sent any reports anywhere, so don’t quote us out of context, please.
“We had a very good interaction with him, and no one should get ahead of this committee’s decision to say someone is ‘flawed,’” he said.
The ongoing investigation has revealed allegations of forgery and bribery at some federal agencies, particularly the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
JAMB’s registrar had told the committee that his agency did not break any regulations by hiring staff for the professional testing centers it had just built and those donated to it by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
Mr. Oloyede also provided documents indicating that JAMB obtained approvals from the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federation Budget Office before hiring staff.
In addition, he said, the agency obtained a waiver from the Federal Character Commission before the start of the contracting and a certificate of compliance upon completion of the process.
Committee members had asserted the existence of a government that prohibited government agencies from hiring more than 100 employees without advertising, but Mr. Oloyede told the panel that he was not aware of such a directive.
Independent checks carried out by Newslodge at the office of the Head of Service and the Federal Character Commission also indicate that no such memorandum exists.
JAMB, in May 2021, conducted an emergency recruitment exercise to staff its 20 new test centers in Akure, Awka, Birnin Kebbi, Ehime Miano, Kaduna, Lafia, Lokoja, Okoko Item and Owerri.
The agency also used the exercise to replace 99 key staff members who left the service.
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