…As Reps probe $5bn under remittance by CBN***
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said on Sunday that it had suspended its employee, Philomina Chieshe, on account of N36m which was reported to have been swallowed by a snake in the board’s office in Makurdi, Benue State.
The JAMB Head of Information, Fabian Benjamin, told our correspondent on Sunday that the board was taking her through other disciplinary measures while security agencies were investigating the matter.
Benjamin said, “She has been suspended and she is going through all other disciplinary procedures while investigation is ongoing on the matter. Her claim was that a snake came into the office and swallowed the N36m proceeds.”
It was learnt that Chieshe explained in her statement that a “mystery snake” sneaked into JAMB accounts office and made away with the N36m cash.
The money was said to be from the purchases of scratch cards from JAMB state offices and other designated centres.
A team of auditors was said to have been dispatched to different state offices of JAMB to take inventory of sold and unsold scratch cards and recover the generated money.
The woman reportedly told the team that she could not account for N36m made in the previous years before the abolition of scratch cards.
However, in the course of interrogation, Chieshe reportedly changed the narrative, saying that it was her housemaid who connived with another woman, Joan Asen, to “spiritually steal the money” from the vault in the accounts office.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had begun investigation into the matter following a recommendation by the Federal Executive Council late last year that JAMB should be investigated.
The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed council about the performances of some government agencies last year had 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 remitted yearly in the last 40 years.
Adeosun had said the disparity in the remittances of agency in the past had necessitated the decision to probe all previous heads of the two agencies.
In the meantime, the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee constituted to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for alleged under remittance of over $5 billion into the federation account began work,weekend.
The committee, chaired by Chairman, House Committee on Customs, James Faleke, has fashioned out a work plan and other necessary modalities necessary for the investigative hearing.
The committee was constituted following the adoption of a motion promoted by Ayo Omidiran (APC, Osun ), alleging that the CBN was guilty of not disclosing the true state of the financial inflows into the federation account on a monthly basis. She also indicted the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for not reporting the alleged infractions by the CBN.
She said: “The CBN takes advantage of this all important function of warehousing funds for the three tiers of government and preparation of the federation account statement to manipulate the system by opening various accounts not known to the three tiers of government where funds are remitted, hidden, diverted and spent without authorisation.”
In a related development, the House of Representatives adhoc committee investigating the alleged abuse of import duty waivers granted sugar companies has resolved to summon the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, and other stakeholders to shed light on how firms granted waivers by the Federal Government shortchanged the government of billions of Naira in revenue. Chairman of the adhoc committee, Olasupo Abiodun Adeola, disclosed this to journalists, weekend, in Abuja.
Olasupo said the committee’s assignment was to determine the compliance by local sugar companies with the waiver granted them to import raw sugar into the country under a scheme to promote backward integration and ensure local sugar production meets demand to reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported sugar. Sadly, he declared that companies granted the waiver abused the privilege and turned around to fleece the nation of billions of Naira.
He assured that the committee wuld do a thorough job, adding that “we’ll hit the ground running and the committee will invite all stakeholders, including the minister and everybody involved with the waiver one way or the other.
“Nigeria produces less than four percent of its sugar requirements locally. The backwards integration scheme that necessitated the granting of waiver was to encourage local production, reduce imports, create employment and reduce foreign exchange expenditure.”
Punch with additional report from Vanguard
