Jamb’s N36m ‘snake’ scandal: We’re now branded as ‘thieves’, staff say

In the past one week, the nation’s media space has been awash with the bizarre story of a ‘spiritual snake’ ingesting the sum of N36 million kept in the Makurdi office vault of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Benue State. Needless to say, that uncountable reactions had continued to trail the confession […]

In the past one week, the nation’s media space has been awash with the bizarre story of a ‘spiritual snake’ ingesting the sum of N36 million kept in the Makurdi office vault of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Benue State.

Needless to say, that uncountable reactions had continued to trail the confession allegedly made by one Philomena Chieshe, believed to be the sales clerk in whose custody the money was kept before it was supposedly swallowed by a snake.

It was gathered that Chieshe, who is married with three children, had reportedly told JAMB authorities, headed by the Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyode, after the money was discovered missing that she could not exactly account for how it vanished.

The N36 million was an accumulation of money made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards while the revelation was said to have been on the heels of the board’s auditors’ visit to its Makurdi zonal office.

When Daily Trust visited the JAMB office along Chief Abu King Shuluwa road in Makurdi, where the incident supposedly took place, normal day-to-day activities were being carried out. 

Around the shops close to the JAMB office gate, some young people seated in groups, gossiped about the matter as they threw tantrums at workers entering or exiting the examination body’s building.

A worker at the Makurdi JAMB office who preferred anonymity said “this is what we get on daily basis since the incident became public knowledge. All of us (staff) here feel so bad about the strange story of a snake swallowing money and because our office has been in the news for negative reasons,” and recalled how calls and visits from prospective JAMB candidates, as well as anxious members of the public, had shattered the peace of the office since the news broke.

“They want to come and see the snake and where it swallowed the money. In fact, some candidates called us ‘a bunch of thieves’. But as you can see, we don’t have a snake here,” the source said.

Another staff who also did not want to be named explained that the development had reduced the morale of the staff who has been working hard to ease difficulties faced by JAMB candidates. In addition, the Makurdi office had suffered repeated violence by angry candidates who destroyed its property in 2015 and 2017 respectively following their inability to get their online registration completed before the board’s deadline.

“We suffered personal losses on those two occasions and we were not compensated. We put our lives in danger and worked into the night, just to secure a future for young Nigerians, and nobody publicised it. But now, they are calling us thieves.

“In this office, we don’t get any extra allowance. We are not even paid the 13th month salary enjoyed by workers in other establishments, and yet people cashed in on the negative story trending about this office to call us bad names,” the staff added.

The middle aged staff went further to say that only the court of law would unveil the truth. He pointed out that the lady in the eye of the storm is of good character and does not even possess the basic comfort of life.

When contacted, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of Makurdi JAMB office, Ms. Karen Gar, said that she was not in a position to comment on the matter because it was being handled at the board’s headquarters and the accused woman has been transferred there. She added that the matter in contention did not take place during her tenure and therefore she knew nothing about the matter. 

However, Daily Trust learnt from insiders that the embattled Chieshe may not likely go down alone as she had worked directly under a zonal officer who was equally transferred to the headquarters in the wake of the crisis. The woman, who was only a clerk, worked as a revenue collection officer without an appointment letter to that effect and had other officers above her whom she reported to directly.

“This matter is more than what is seen on the surface. In fairness, Chieshe is a good woman and she shared an office with a close friend called Joan,” the source said, and pointed out that it was surprising that auditors, who visit the office, at least twice in a year, never raised an alarm about missing money. 

A worker explained that Chieshe’s husband works with a Federal Radio Cooperation and that the confession which she was said to have made, may be lies after all. “What is being peddled now cannot be substantiated. We can’t even verify whether she said so officially because nothing around her suggested she could have spent so much money. Physically, we can testify of her good character,” the source said. 

Daily Trust further learnt that Joan was not at work because her child was hospitalised and so could not give her side of the story. A Chief Administrative Officer of the Makurdi office, Elvis Gwaza, also said he knew nothing about the matter.

The JAMB office in Makurdi moved to its permanent site in 2013 and had suffered twice in the hands of protesting candidates who destroyed properties of the board, such as sign posts, windows, and vehicles among others. Prospective candidates had resorted to violence at the JAMB office in Makurdi for the second time in March 2017 after the collapse of the centre’s transformer.