JAMB Defends ₦1.1 Billion Meal Budget for 2,300 Staff Amid National Assembly Scrutiny
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has defended its proposed 2025 budget allocation of ₦1.1 billion for feeding its 2,300 staff members throughout the year, amid scrutiny from lawmakers.
The National Assembly raised concerns about the examination body’s spending, questioning why a self-funding agency like JAMB still receives government funding. Abiodun Faleke, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, asked, “You remitted ₦4 billion and got ₦6 billion from the Federal Government. Why not keep the ₦4 billion and stop the government from funding JAMB?”
Senator Adams Oshiomhole also expressed dissatisfaction, questioning the agency’s spending on meals and refreshments. He queried, “You spent ₦1.1 billion on meals and refreshments. Are you being freely fed by the government? This means you are spending money generated from poor students, many of whom are orphans.”
Oshiomhole further challenged JAMB’s proposed ₦850 million allocation for security, cleaning, and fumigation, asking, “What did you fumigate? Was it mosquitoes that took all this money?”
In response, JAMB’s National Spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, issued a statement justifying the meal budget. He explained that the N1.1 billion provision is for providing one meal per day for all JAMB staff members, including cleaners and security personnel, across the board’s 40 offices and centers. The initiative, which was initially implemented at the headquarters, aims to minimize staff exposure to the public and protect ICT infrastructure. It is set to be extended to all 2,300 staff members nationwide.
Benjamin stated that the cost of meals was projected to increase due to rising food prices, with a daily cost of N2,200 per staff member, including taxes. However, JAMB budgeted ₦1.1 billion for the year, less than the actual projected cost of ₦1.27 billion.
Additionally, JAMB clarified the ₦850 million earmarked for outsourced services, including security, cleaning, and fumigation. The budget allocation covers the salaries of 386 security personnel and 194 cleaners and is in line with government outsourcing policies. Only ₦2 million of the ₦850 million is dedicated to fumigation, a significant reduction from the previous year’s budget.
Benjamin also addressed the concerns surrounding JAMB’s proposed ₦6.4 billion for local travel and transport, explaining that this figure includes costs for training and transporting staff for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and mock examinations.
The statement emphasized that JAMB’s operations, including capital and overhead costs, are funded entirely through internally generated revenue, with the government covering the salaries of pensionable staff only.
JAMB reaffirmed its commitment to managing resources efficiently and complying with governmental budgeting requirements, urging the public to disregard misleading interpretations of the proposed budget.
