JAMB Parades Two Members of Staff for Allegedly Extorting Admission Seekers

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday
paraded two of its staff members who allegedly extorted money from
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates with
the promise to help them secure university’s admission.

One of the affected staff members, Mr. Andy Okoro, a level 12
officer in Delta State JAMB office, said he collected N500,000 from
four candidates’ parents, out of which he paid N180,000 to a
colleague, Gambo Ibrahim Abba, to help facilitate their university
admission.

The bubble burst when one of the parents in Delta State
petitioned JAMB on Okoro’s activities, a move that prompted the
Board to investigate deeply into the issue.

Okoro told journalists yesterday evening in Abuja that he
engaged in the fraudulent act because of economic hardship.

A mild drama, however, ensued when his accomplice, Gambo, who
had earlier claimed that he was into fish business with Okoro,
later admitted that his involvement in the act might not be
“ordinary.”

Gambo, a level 8 officer at JAMB headquarters, said he was
probably hypnotised by Okoro to engage in the shady deals, adding
that he only got to know him by phone last year through a third
party.

According to Gambo, “It was not ordinary; he was just calling
me, but I didn’t know him. He lured me into this when he convinced
me that he has been into it for a long time.”

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who expressed
surprise that the affected staff defied the Board’s zero tolerance
for corruption, vowed to ensure they face the full wrath the
law.

He said: “Anybody who engages in sharp practices, no matter who
the person is, will not be protected by the Board because JAMB has
zero tolerance for corruption.”

Oloyede called on parents and candidates not to allow anyone
collect money from them on the guise of helping them to secure
admission to their choice institution, as the system is now fully
automated.

According to the registra, “The admission exercise into tertiary
institutions has been automated, therefore, anybody working in JAMB
or anyone who has good calculation, and what the admission process
is, can predict who can be admitted because it has been
automated.

“What is happening now is that people know those that will be
admitted, because they know by the automation that a person could
be admitted, still they extort the parents of those that have
already been slated for admission.

“We need to let the public know that there is no halfway to
admission; nobody should bribe or give any money to anybody whether
they are JAMB staff or not. Anybody who solicits money from any
parent, such parent should inform the Board.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday
paraded two of its staff members who allegedly extorted money from
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates with
the promise to help them secure university’s admission.

One of the affected staff members, Mr. Andy Okoro, a level 12
officer in Delta State JAMB office, said he collected N500,000 from
four candidates’ parents, out of which he paid N180,000 to a
colleague, Gambo Ibrahim Abba, to help facilitate their university
admission.

The bubble burst when one of the parents in Delta State
petitioned JAMB on Okoro’s activities, a move that prompted the
Board to investigate deeply into the issue.

Okoro told journalists yesterday evening in Abuja that he
engaged in the fraudulent act because of economic hardship.

A mild drama, however, ensued when his accomplice, Gambo, who
had earlier claimed that he was into fish business with Okoro,
later admitted that his involvement in the act might not be
“ordinary.”

Gambo, a level 8 officer at JAMB headquarters, said he was
probably hypnotised by Okoro to engage in the shady deals, adding
that he only got to know him by phone last year through a third
party.

According to Gambo, “It was not ordinary; he was just calling
me, but I didn’t know him. He lured me into this when he convinced
me that he has been into it for a long time.”

The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who expressed
surprise that the affected staff defied the Board’s zero tolerance
for corruption, vowed to ensure they face the full wrath the
law.

He said: “Anybody who engages in sharp practices, no matter who
the person is, will not be protected by the Board because JAMB has
zero tolerance for corruption.”

Oloyede called on parents and candidates not to allow anyone
collect money from them on the guise of helping them to secure
admission to their choice institution, as the system is now fully
automated.

According to the registra, “The admission exercise into tertiary
institutions has been automated, therefore, anybody working in JAMB
or anyone who has good calculation, and what the admission process
is, can predict who can be admitted because it has been
automated.

“What is happening now is that people know those that will be
admitted, because they know by the automation that a person could
be admitted, still they extort the parents of those that have
already been slated for admission.

“We need to let the public know that there is no halfway to
admission; nobody should bribe or give any money to anybody whether
they are JAMB staff or not. Anybody who solicits money from any
parent, such parent should inform the Board.”