Reps Threaten to Arrest JAMB Registrar Oloyede, Reasons Emerge
- Lawmakers directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest JAMB officials after they walked out on a House committee hearing
- The House ordered Registrar Ishaq Oloyede to appear in person next week with requested documents
- Committee members described the walkout as a show of contempt for parliamentary oversight and accountability
There was tension at the House of Representatives on Wednesday when members ordered the arrest of officials from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) after a dramatic walkout during a committee hearing.
The altercation erupted at an investigative session convened by the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies.
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Daily Trust reported that the committee had invited JAMB to provide documents related to its operations, but lawmakers were taken aback when the Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, failed to appear and instead sent a Director, Mufutau Bello, as his representative.
Heated exchange at committee hearing
During the session, Bello asked journalists to exit the meeting room, claiming that some of the documents to be presented were confidential.
The lawmakers refused, arguing that the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to conduct open proceedings and decide its mode of engagement.
The disagreement quickly escalated. Bello, appearing visibly frustrated, instructed his team to leave the session.
Lawmakers viewed the act as a deliberate affront to the authority of the House. The Committee then raised the matter during plenary, leading to a directive that the Sergeant-at-Arms should arrest the JAMB officials involved.
However, the officials had already left the National Assembly complex before the order could be enforced.
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Committee condemns JAMB’s conduct
Chairman of the Committee, Obuku Oforji, criticised the conduct of the JAMB team, calling it “unacceptable and disrespectful.”
He disclosed that the Committee had written three separate letters to the Registrar requesting specific documents, but Oloyede ignored the invitations and instead accused the lawmakers of trying to embarrass the agency.
“Our duty is to ensure every agency under our watch is accountable to Nigerians,” Oforji stated.
“Instead of appearing, he sent a director who accused us of trying to embarrass JAMB. That is very unfortunate.”
Following the incident, the House resolved that the JAMB Registrar must appear in person before the Committee next Tuesday with his management team to submit the requested documents.
Lawmakers warned that failure to comply could result in a formal warrant of arrest.
Speaking with journalists after the session, Committee member Awaji-Inombek Abiante said the incident showed an alarming disregard for oversight functions.
“If JAMB can walk out on a National Assembly committee, it means they no longer see themselves as accountable to Nigerians. Oversight is not a favour; it’s a constitutional duty,” he said.
Abiante added, “We’ve heard stories where snakes swallowed money. Maybe this time, a bigger creature has done the swallowing.”
FG clarifies claims that JAMB no longer required
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Federal Ministry of Education issued a strong rebuttal to a misleading publication circulating across newspapers and online platforms, which falsely claimed that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was no longer required for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
In a formal statement released by the Ministry, the minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa CON, categorically dismissed the report as “false, baseless, and did not originate from the Federal Ministry of Education.”
Source: Legit.ng
