Following the staged walk out on the House of Representatives Committee; JAMB Registrar has been given an ultimatum to appear before the committee on Tuesday or face sanctions
There was mild drama at the National Assembly on Wednesday when officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) staged a walkout on the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education Examination Bodies.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Oboku Oforji (PDP Bayelsa), had summoned JAMB to defend its 2023–2024 budget performance, Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) implementation, and evidence of remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), alongside bank statements from 2023 to date.
Lawmakers disclosed that the committee had written three letters to JAMB dated October 6, 17, and 23, 2025 requesting the documents and the personal appearance of the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
However, instead of appearing, the Registrar sent a Director, Mufutau Bello, to represent him.
Tension mounted when Bello demanded that journalists vacate the hearing room, claiming the documents he was to present contained sensitive information. The committee refused, insisting that its proceedings were public and constitutionally empowered to determine the mode of its sittings.
In a dramatic turn, Bello became visibly agitated, ordered his team to leave, and walked out of the session leaving lawmakers stunned.
Angered by the action, the committee directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest the JAMB officials, but they had already exited the premises.
Describing the incident as “unfortunate and unacceptable,” Rep. Oforji warned that the legislature would not tolerate acts of disrespect or attempts to undermine its oversight authority.
“We wrote three consecutive letters to the Registrar requesting these documents. Instead of appearing, he sent a former director who accused us of trying to embarrass JAMB. That is very unfortunate,” Rep. Oforji said.
He emphasized that the committee’s mandate was to promote transparency and accountability in the management of public funds—not to witch-hunt any agency.
“Our duty is to ensure every agency under our watch is accountable to Nigerians,” he added.
The committee consequently gave JAMB till Tuesday for the Registrar to appear in person with his management team and present all requested documents.
“Failure to do so,” Rep. Oforji warned, “will compel the committee to invoke its powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, lawmakers condemned JAMB’s walkout, describing it as contempt of parliament and a slap on democratic accountability.
Rep. Awaji-Inombek Dagomie Abiante (PDP Rivers), said JAMB’s action reflected a dangerous disregard for legislative authority.
“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 also hinted at possible financial irregularities, recalling past controversies involving missing public funds.
“We’ve heard stories where money was swallowed by snakes. Maybe this time, a bigger creature has done the swallowing,” he said wryly.
Also speaking Rep. Rodney Amboiowei faulted JAMB’s attempt to bar the press from the session, insisting that transparency is non-negotiable.
“No agency has the right to dictate how parliament conducts its business. Nigerians deserve to know how their money is spent,” he said.
Similarly, Rep. Marie Enenimiete Ebikake expressed dismay that the person who led JAMB’s delegation was not even the Registrar.
“We don’t know who this man is. He refused to identify himself. For all we know, he could have been impersonating. The Registrar must appear by Tuesday to explain what JAMB is doing with public funds,” she stated.
The committee adjourned proceedings till next Tuesday, warning that any further disregard by JAMB would attract serious parliamentary sanctions.
About legislative summons and defiance of MDAs
Legislative summons and invitations by parliament are formal requests or orders for individuals, including officials from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), or even the president and state governors, to appear before the legislative body to provide evidence, give account of activities, or produce documents related to matters under legislative oversight.
The power to summon is backed by Nigeria’s Constitution and specific legislative acts, such as the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act of 2017. Section 89(1c) of the Constitution empowers the National Assembly or its committees to summon any person to attend, give evidence, or produce documents relevant to parliamentary investigations or oversight functions.
Despite this legal backing, ignoring legislative summons is a frequent issue. It happens regularly with government officials and MDAs who fail to appear when summoned by parliament.
Findings by Parliament Reports revealed that a key factor contributing to this is that the Constitution and existing laws do not clearly prescribe effective penalties or enforceable sanctions for disobedience of summons, other than the possibility of issuing a warrant to compel attendance and ordering the payment of costs or fines.
However, these measures have not been sufficiently deterrent, leading to widespread non-compliance with legislative invitations and summons.
The Legislative Compliance Index (LCI), developed by OrderPaper Nigeria, stands as a pioneering accountability tool to measure how effectively executive bodies comply with parliamentary resolutions and summons.
The LCI assesses the responsiveness of federal agencies to summons and requests from both the Senate and House of Representatives.
