By Baba Adamu Isa
The ongoing attempts by the Hon Oboku Abonsizibe Oforji-led House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies to undertake a review performance audit of the agencies under its jurisdiction has sparked allegations of a vendetta against the examination bodies. Sources close to the matter reveal that the Committee’s chairman, Hon Oforji, has been pressuring the examination bodies to surrender a significant percentage of monies paid by students for the conduct of their examinations, known as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), running into several millions of Naira.
According to an investigation by Abuja City Times, the House Committee, through its chairman, wrote letters to the Central Bank Governor, The Accountant General of the Federation, and the Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, requesting documents related to the examination bodies’ budgets, IGR performance, and implementation from 2023 to date.
The letters, dated 31st October 2025, cited sections 88 and 89 of the constitution, which grant the National Assembly powers to investigate the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, ministry, or government department. However, sources allege that Hon Oforji’s true intention is to strong-arm the examination bodies into complying with his demands, which are believed to be unconstitutional and self-serving.
“Hon Oforji has been using his position to extort money from the examination bodies, and when they refused to play ball, he began to threaten them with audits and investigations,” a source close to the matter revealed.
The examination bodies, including NECO, JAMB, WAEC, NABTEB and NBAIS have been asked to provide detailed financial information, including their statements of account, remittance, and payment receipts. While the request may seem legitimate, sources allege that Hon Oforji’s ulterior motive is to use the information to blackmail and coerce the examination bodies into complying with his demands.
One examination body executive, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “We are not surprised by Hon Oforji’s actions. He has a history of using his position to enrich himself and his associates. We will not be intimidated or bullied into surrendering our IGR (money paid by the students for the conduct of their examinations).”
Further investigation revealed that Hon Oforji had initially hired a consultant to audit the accounts of the examination bodies but later fell out with the consultant, accusing him of shielding the Registrar of JAMB, who is reportedly a kinsman. He subsequently hired another consultant, with a mandate to implicate the CEOs of any examination body that refused to comply with his demands.
Fellow Committee members have also raised concerns about Hon Oforji’s alleged misuse of committee funds, with one member confiding in Abuja City Times that Hon Oforji had requested money on their behalf for official functions but failed to account for the funds.
In one instance, Hon Oforji was given N62,700,000 to attend an official function with his committee members, but none of them attended, and he only refunded N43,000,000. When confronted, he promised to refund the balance but has failed to do so.
The actions of Hon Oforji have generated outrage among education stakeholders, who are calling for his immediate resignation or replacement with someone who is more educated and has better understanding of the education sector
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