FG Orders Probe Of Ex-heads Of JAMB, NIMASA

The Federal Government has ordered the probe of past heads of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency over poor remittances to the Federal Government’s accounts in the past.

The decision was taken by the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed the council about the performances of some government agencies, said JAMB for the first time remitted N5bn to the government’s coffers with a promise to pay the balance of N3bn compared to maximum N3m per annum remitted in the past.

JAMB had in July announced the remittance of N5bn to the Federal Government which happens to be the highest so far in the last 40 years of its existence.

Adeosun said the disparity in the remittances of the two agencies in the past had necessitated the decision to probe all previous heads of the two agencies.

The minister also disclosed that other agencies with similar discrepancies in their revenue remittances will be probed.

The two immediate past directors-general of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi and Haruna Jauro, are already standing trial for alleged diversion of billions of naira.

Another former DG of NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye, was convicted of fraud to the tune of N1.5bn by a Federal High Court last year. His conviction was, however, upturned by the Appeal Court in May 2017.