A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has urged the House of Representatives to immediately oust Hon. Oboku Oforji, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examinations, following accusations that he intimidated and extorted Nigeria’s key examination bodies.
The call was made during a joint press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
Representing the coalition, Comrade Okpanachi Jacob, Convener of the Social Transparency and Youth Leadership Advancement Initiative, said the organisations had become aware of what they described as corrupt practices linked to Hon. Oforji, warning that such actions undermine the progress recorded by examination bodies in recent years.
They cautioned that persistent intimidation and extortion were unacceptable to civil society actors and the wider Nigerian public.
Other representatives present were Comrade Friday James of the African Poverty Alleviation Initiative; Comrade Tabuko Kennedy of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups; Comrade Yomi Davis of the Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative; Comrade Felix Nnalue Attah, President of the Humanitarian, Welfare and Social Development Initiative; and Hajia Memuna Usman of the Advocacy for Women Empowerment in Nigeria.
According to the organisations, Hon. Oforji allegedly leveraged his position to pressure the leadership of JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB, allegedly demanding funds supposedly meant for committee use.
They further accused him of engaging consultants irregularly, hiring and dismissing them arbitrarily, and of travelling to the United Kingdom on committee funds without notifying or involving other committee members in official duties.
The groups also questioned the handling of N62,700,000 reportedly credited to the committee’s account, as well as the partial refund of N43,000,000, insisting that the transactions require deeper scrutiny to ensure transparency in public expenditure.
“He is alleged to have written letters to the CBN and the AGF demanding statements of account from examination bodies, which he uses as a tool for blackmailing CEOs who do not succumb to his demands. It is also observed that, due to his totalitarian nature, there is no coherence in his committee, as members have not been carried along.
“We call on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, to remove Hon. Oboku Oforji as Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examinations and refer him for a thorough investigation by the House Committee on Ethics as a matter of urgent national importance.
“Failure to remove him and subject him to proper investigation will lead to a national protest at the National Assembly to demand a comprehensive inquiry into his activities in the House.”
The coalition also reiterated claims that Hon. Oforji sought account statements from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation regarding examination bodies, allegedly deploying the information to pressure CEOs who resisted his demands.
“For the purpose of achieving an independent and successful examination system in Nigeria, we demand that the leadership of the House appoint a member with integrity and an understanding of examinations to chair this important committee responsible for assessing Nigerian children.
“To maintain the integrity of legislation in accordance with world best practices, Hon. Oboku Oforji should be thoroughly investigated. We also call on all relevant anti-corruption agencies to carry out due diligence on Hon. Oboku Oforji to serve as a deterrent to others.
“While we commend our examination bodies for the good work they are doing in the face of limited funds, our examination bodies remain the tool for measuring the knowledge acquisition and assimilation of our students. Thus, they must be devoid of any form of interference from individuals or groups,” they added.
