After almost
two decades of energy sapping combat with corruption, Nigeria, from all
indications, is still in quandary on how to effectively tame the menace. Today
in
Nigeria, corruption stands tall and rotund, gnawing at every effort made to
subdue it. Both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the
sister Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission
(ICPC) seem to have lost track, leaving corruption to rear more hydra heads.
The two main
anti-graft agencies created to fight corruption over the years do not seem to
have a co-terminus approach in their war against the incubus. Sometimes, they
work at cross-purposes. The EFCC, for instance, is seen to be impressionistic
and egregious in the war, using the media as a tool, all along. On the other
hand, the ICPC appears stoic and laid back, convinced that it could advance in
the war against corruption by mere system overhaul and prevention. All the
same, little results continue to trail every initiative they had put in place.
Before the advent of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, corruption
became virulent, holding a promise to make Nigeria history.
Months ago,
the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed invented an idea
of how Nigeria could dig pitfalls around corruption and make it fall, at least
gradually. Nigerians laughed their heads off when he came up with a catch
phrase; “Change begins With Me.” He had little audience since a
disproportionate number saw his idea as impracticable having hitherto, been
treated to the effusive and gratifying impact of corruption. But Lai Muhammad
was not acting in isolation of the expanded agenda by the government of
President Buhari to battle corruption headlong. Now, that effort has started
resonating positively in different corridors, and most veritably in agencies
like the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
A week ago,
JAMB dominated the media space with reports about being parsimonious in
handling its finances for the just concluded 2017 Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination (UMTE). JAMB was reported to have remitted the sum of
N5 billion into the federation account being the amount it saved from the
conduct of the examination. Nigerians found the feat very incredulous;
believing that no agency of government had been that transparent. JAMB is
simply demonstrating responsiveness to the anti-corruption posturing of the
present government. The idea is that other agencies of government must be on
the cue to initiate their ways and means of advancing the war, using different
techniques.
If JAMB
appears to have woken up suddenly with a foul mind against corruption, the
starting point should be traced to the Registrar, Professor Isaq Oloyede. The
Registrar, once the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, is an
instant fighter of corruption. The legacies he left behind at the University of
Ilorin speak volumes. Since he assumed office as Registrar, he has laboured to
impress it on JAMB stakeholders that a new era where the agency’s funds must be
judiciously utilised had just set in. His vows to bring a new order in JAMB
ruled by efficiency, financial prudence and transparency were mocked in
familiar quarters. But he meant business. At every point, he had dared
saboteurs who seemed determined and desperate to subvert his every good steps
and efforts. Today, his commitment to “Change” and insistence on leading by
example has started paying off.
Before the
2017 UMTE, the Registrar had expressed aversion to the idea of raking in the
sum of N7 billion from sales of registration forms and blowing the sum of N6.8
billion in the conduct of examination. He vowed not to spend more than N500
million for the 2017 UMTE and managed to do just that, leaving JAMB with an
excess of N5 billion.
The
spokesman of JAMB while analysing the cost saving measures by JAMB for the 2017
UMTE said, “Before now, JAMB budgeted for the sum of N7 billion. But this year,
we have been able to prune down the cost very drastically, limiting our
spending to N500 million. JAMB may not spend up to that in 2018 since it is
expected to improve on the template from this year to attain this goal.
In his
address to stakeholders of JAMB at a recent meeting for reviewing the conduct
of the 2017 UMTE and preparations for the following year’s exam, the Registrar
explained the reason he had chosen to lead by example. He alluded to the Change
Begins With Me mantra of the Federal Government, stressing, Change Begins With
Me campaign is not only a slogan, it is already a way of life which we believe
in and which we have adopted as our guiding principle.
JAMB is not
only excelling in the area of prudence, accountability and transparency. The
Board has started re-inventing the future of Nigeria by curbing corruption
maximally at the level of writing of examinations with more of candidates being
inculcated with the spirit of hard work, self confidence and adequate
preparations before every examination.
Years before
now, examinations written in Nigeria at all levels had been characterized by
brazen malpractices. Schoolteachers had been in collusion with invigilators and
parents to allow impersonators write examinations for academically deficient
students. Female students had severally been caught stuffing exam answers in
the innermost part of their bodies, and had recourse to blackmail when exposed.
There are reports of magic centers too, which no invigilator or examination
official dared to visit during examinations, mostly JAMB, WAEC, NECO and
others. The effects have been disastrous for Nigeria. Those who exploited the
weak examination systems had secured employment into sensitive places, using
the old power of corruption. Today, the system of Nigeria hardly runs unless
oiled with brazen and sickening touch of corruption. JAMB has started changing
the narrative, just as the 2017 examination it conducted was reported to be 98
percent free of malpractices.
In the 2017
examination, JAMB simply deployed Information Technology to halt corruption and
all forms of malpractices. Its closely knitted synergy with GSM networks
providers made this easy. Before the examination, JAMB created 642 Computer
Based Test centers (CBTs) to administer examination for over 1,722,236
candidates, the highest ever in the history of the Board. Each of the CBT
Centers had CCTV cameras to track down registration and examination malpractice
within and outside exam halls. In the process, it was easy to weed out Centers
that indulged in irregularities and malpractices. Today, all candidates must
register under the lenses of the CCTV camera just as the footage is uploaded to
the Board Headquarters for close monitoring and future references. Indeed,
there is nothing stopping JAMB from improving on the feat it attained this
year.
If other
government agencies must learn from JAMB, their focus should be on necessity
for immediacy in execution of plans and table-tables. For instance, JAMB has
already set machinery in motion for conduct of the 2018 UMTE. In reviewing its
omissions and successes during the last examination, the Board is planning to
spend far less than N500 million to conduct the next UMTE. By implication, JAMB
is expected to remit more than N5 billion into the federation account next
year!
In essence,
leading by example as demonstrated by an agency like JAMB is an unassailable
way of re-inventing Nigeria. Individuals, groups and most especially government
agencies should start emulating JAMB to change the narrative about Nigeria
being irredeemably corrupt.
Samuel, a
public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.
GUARDIAN
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