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Reps Summon JAMB Registrar After Officials’ Walkout

Published

2 months ago

October 29, 2025

A tense encounter unfolded at the National Assembly on Wednesday as officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board walked out of a session convened by the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies.

The Committee, led by Bayelsa lawmaker, Oboku Oforji, had summoned the examination body to account for its 2023–2024 budget performance, internally generated revenue remittances, and other financial operations, including bank statements and evidence of transfers to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

In Nigeria, it is not uncommon for public agencies to ignore invitations from National Assembly committees, a development that often leads to conflicts between the legislature and executive branches. This pattern of non-compliance undermines the parliament’s oversight role, weakens accountability, and signals a troubling disregard for the legislature’s constitutional authority.

Often, agency heads treat summonses as optional, behaving as if they are not answerable to lawmakers. Many appear to rely on political connections or affiliations with the ruling party, assuming that little will be done if they fail to comply.

Executive officials sometimes push back, arguing that repeated or seemingly unnecessary summonses disrupt their work.

A common workaround is for agency heads to send junior representatives in their place. However, lawmakers frequently reject this, insisting on direct engagement with the leaders themselves to ensure transparency and accountability.

Ultimately, these recurring clashes highlight a broader struggle: balancing the legislature’s constitutional duty to oversee public institutions with the practical challenges faced by agencies and private-sector actors.

At the hearing on Wednesday, the Committee noted that JAMB was formally invited in three separate letters dated October 6, 17, and 23, 2025, requesting the personal appearance of Registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede and submission of the relevant documents. Instead of attending in person, Prof. Oloyede sent a representative, Director Mufutau Bello.

Tension escalated when Bello demanded that National Assembly-accredited journalists leave the room, arguing that the documents contained sensitive financial information. The lawmakers refused, stating that the proceedings were public and that the Committee, not JAMB, had the authority to set the terms of the session.

Agitated by the insistence, Bello ordered his team to exit, leaving the lawmakers shocked. The Committee immediately instructed the Sergeant-at-Arms to detain the JAMB officials, only to find that they had already left the premises.

Describing the walkout as “Unacceptable and disrespectful,” Oforji emphasised that the Committee’s mandate is to ensure transparency and accountability, not to embarrass any agency.

“We sent three formal requests to the Registrar. Instead of complying, he sent a representative who accused us of trying to embarrass JAMB. That is unfortunate and cannot be tolerated,” he said.

Consequently, the Committee gave Prof Oloyede until Tuesday, November 4, 2025, to appear in person with his management team and provide all requested documents. Failure to comply, the Committee warned, could trigger enforcement actions under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Several lawmakers condemned JAMB’s action as a contemptuous disregard for parliamentary oversight.

Abiante said the walkout demonstrated a troubling lack of accountability.

“Oversight is not a favour; it is a constitutional responsibility. If JAMB can ignore the National Assembly, it raises serious concerns about how public funds are managed,” Abiante said, alluding wryly to past controversies involving missing public money.

On his part, Rodney Ambaiowei criticised the agency’s attempt to exclude the press, stressing that the public has a right to know how government funds are spent.

“No agency can dictate how parliament operates. Transparency is not optional when it comes to public resources,” he said.

Also speaking, Rivers lawmaker, Marie Ebikake, expressed surprise that the Registrar did not attend the hearing, noting that the identity of the representative was unclear.

“We do not even know who led the delegation. The Registrar must appear on Tuesday to clarify JAMB’s management of public funds,” she said.

The Committee adjourned the session until next Tuesday, warning that any further defiance by the examination body would invite strict parliamentary sanctions.

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Nigerian Govt Launches LG Proof Of Address To Improve Citizen Identification

Published

8 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government has officially rolled out the Local Government Proof of Address, POA, project, an initiative designed to strengthen national security, improve citizen identification, and enhance service delivery across the country.

The project, initiated by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, was formally approved through a circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, OSGF, with reference number 5964B/S,13/VBA/T.IIIA/704.

According to the circular, the POA scheme took effect from October 1, 2025. However, implementation is at various stages in different federal and state Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

According to the circular, under the new arrangement, all federal and state Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, government-owned corporations, and public institutions are mandated to replace the long-standing use of utility bills as proof of residence with the standardized Proof of Address issued at the local government level.

The circular explained that the POA project aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point development agenda, particularly, in the areas of governance reform, security enhancement, and institutional efficiency.

It is domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, with the Nigerian Postal Service, NIPOST, serving as the coordinating federal agency.

“For years, the reliance on utility bills as proof of residence has posed major challenges. Many Nigerians do not have utility bills in their names, while others rely on outdated or shared documents that do not accurately reflect their current place of residence.

“In the same vein, the increasing use of digital services and prepaid utilities has further reduced the reliability of utility bills as a credible verification tool,” the circular stated.

Also, it noted that while the National Identification Number, NIN, remains a critical component of Nigeria’s identity management framework, a significant number of NIN records do not capture current or accurate residential addresses, limiting their effectiveness for residency verification, security profiling, and service planning.

“The POA is therefore designed to fill this critical gap by providing verified, location-specific, and up-to-date address information directly linked to local governments.

“The POA framework places residency verification at the grassroots, where local authorities have better knowledge of their communities. By anchoring address verification at the local government level, the initiative is expected to improve community-level intelligence, crime prevention, emergency response, and population data accuracy,” it added.

Beyond security, the circular noted that POA data is expected to deliver wide-ranging benefits, including improved public service delivery, equitable resource allocation, disaster management planning, urban development, social intervention targeting and financial inclusion.

The circular directed state governments to lead awareness and sensitisation efforts within their jurisdictions, with technical and institutional support from the OSGF, NIPOST, and ALGON.

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Tax Reform Law: Reps Minority Caucus Seeks Suspension Of Implementation

Published

8 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has demanded the immediate suspension of the implementation of the recently enacted tax reform laws.

The demand follows allegations that the statutes were unlawfully altered after being passed by the National Assembly and assented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, in a statement issued on Monday alongside other principal officers of the caucus, expressed deep concern and overwhelming disappointment over the controversy surrounding the tax reforms.

According to the caucus, the allegations, if proven, strike at the core of Nigeria’s legislative integrity, constitutional order and democratic governance.

While acknowledging that disagreements often accompany major reforms, the caucus stated that the present situation goes far beyond routine policy debate, as it involves claims that the laws were fraudulently altered, gazetted and circulated in a form different from what was duly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and signed into law by the President.

It recalled that the matter was formally raised on the floor of the House during a recent plenary session, leading to the constitution of a high-powered investigative committee to probe the allegations.

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Outrage, Confusion Trail Rumours Of Mohbad’s Wife Giving Birth Two Years After His Death

Published

8 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

Many Nigerians on social media have reacted to the trending news about Wunmi, late singer Mohbad’s wife.

Rumours have emerged online that Wunmi recently welcomed a new baby with another man.

The rumours came a month after Mohbad’s family banned Wunmi from using their surname.

The viral rumour that started on X sparked controversy on social media with netizens raising eyebrows – since Mohbad died on September 12, 2023, and his body is still in the morgue.

The development has revived calls for a DNA test on her son with the late singer, Liam, who was five months old when Mohbad died.

Following the controversial circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death, and allegation of infidelity against Wunmi, the deceased’s father, Joseph Aloba, requested a DNA to determine Liam’s paternity.

Reacting to the development, actor Stanley Ontop in a post on Instagram wrote “Mohbad dled in 2023 Him wife give birth in 2025? What God can not do does not exist! Clap hand for Jesus. Anyways in life as a man try not to kpai, no matter what. Life goes on Anyways congratulations iyawo Mohbad.”

Also @MasterminddBoB wrote on X; ”Dis is not life pausing ooooo dis is her been a stupid person amid speculation of the requested DNA test for Liam..make una get sense small.”

@AgbafianTV wrote “If the News about mohbad wife allegedly giving birth is through, then know that women are ruthless in all their ways. To be able to deal with women, you’ve to be very ruthless. Don’t die because of any woman.”

@callme_Riken wrote; “I don’t know if the news about Mohbad’s wife, Wunmi, giving birth is true. But if it is. Sooner or later, she was going to move on, whether her father-in-law agreed to bury his son or not. Life doesn’t pause forever.”

@djokaymegamixer wrote on X; “I won’t be surprised if it’s later found out that the story of the late Mohbad’s widow, Wunmi, giving birth was a hoax. There is nothing these guys can’t tweet all in the name of hustling engagements for Elon Musk’s money.”