By Felix Khanoba
Candidates that registered for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) benefitted to the tune of N3.5 billion out of the N7 billion recently remitted to the Federal Government by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The exam body said the N3.5 billion benefited by the over 1.9 million candidates that enrolled for the 2020 UTME was by reduction of N1, 500 from the cost of registration.
JAMB, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by its Head of Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, also promised to remit more funds into the government’s coffers as soon as all relevant operations and necessary audits are completed.
The statement read: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) has made an interim remittance of N3.5 billion to the Federal Government consolidated account for the 2020 expected remittance in line with Prof. Is-haq Oloyede’s avowed commitment to remit wholly, excess funds generated from its operations to the Federal Government.
“It had earlier made the payment of over N3.5 billion to candidates by way of reduction of N1,500 from the cost of each ePIN sold to each candidates as graciously directed by Mr President totaling over N3.5 billion bringing the total remittances this year to over N7 billion with the assurance to remit more as soon as it operations are concluded and proper audit of its books done.
“From the outset, it had been the intention of the present leadership of the Board to return to federal coffers, whatever is left unutilised from its operational imperatives.
“The immediate benefit of the move manifested in the reduction by President Muhammadu Buhari of the UTME registration fee payable by candidates from N5,000 to N3,500 which entails the transfer of over N3 billion to candidates and guardians annually via the reduction in the cost of application documents.
“Before the reduction in the cost of application ePINs, the Board had remitted over N7 billion in 2017 and replicated the same in subsequent years until the gracious action by the Buhari administration’s unprecedented decision to give back to candidates a percentage of the cost of registration.”
