By Press Statement
The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has condemned the deliberate attempts by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) chapters of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to malign the reputation of Yisa Usman, a whistleblower at JAMB, who was unjustly dismissed for exposing illegalities in the institution.
In a press statement signed by Dr Chido Onumah, Coordinator of AFRICMIL, the organization said “the allegations and attacks launched at the whistleblower by the two unions were not only misleading but also a calculated effort to divert attention from the core issue of financial mismanagement in JAMB.”
According to the statement, “AFRICMIL stands firmly by Usman whose concerns about financial irregularities in JAMB are based on verifiable facts that demand thorough investigation.”
The statement noted that the unions’ reference to JAMB’s classification as a Government-Owned Enterprise (GOE) did not address the deeper issue of mismanagement of fund, adding that the concern is not about how JAMB is classified but about how public funds were utilized. It emphasized that JAMB is not an enterprise, as it does not engage in profit-making business activities; therefore, “transparency must go beyond mere classification and extend to the prudent application of funds generated from Nigerian students, many of whom struggle financially to pay for their examinations.”
AFRICMIL also challenged the unions’ claim that oversight bodies have cleared JAMB of any wrongdoing. “If JAMB has truly been investigated and cleared, we demand that the unions make public the full reports of these investigations because, after all, accountability in public institutions must be open, verifiable, and subject to independent review,” the statement said.
On the issue of the whistleblower’s redeployment and eventual dismissal from JAMB, AFRICMIL said contrary to the statement by the two unions that he started making false allegations against the JAMB Registrar because he was sacked, the fact is that Usman’s insistence on financial accountability in the institution actually led to his victimization and eventual dismissal. “The whistleblower is not speaking out today because he was dismissed, rather he was dismissed for consistently exposing illegal financial practices in JAMB,” the statement noted.
AFRICMIL warned the unions to refrain from spinning false narratives about the strategic lawsuits against the whistleblower, saying, “The matter in reference is still before the court and yet to be determined. We strongly caution the unions against misrepresenting legal proceedings and urge them to respect the principle of sub judice. Matters before the court should not be subject to public distortion in an attempt to discredit a whistleblower.”
The statement noted that Usman’s courage in exposing corruption should be commended, not vilified, adding that the attempt to silence a whistleblower through character assassination will not absolve JAMB or any of its officials from answering questions on financial and administrative mismanagement.
AFRICMIL said it remains steadfast in its support for whistleblowers and anti-corruption efforts and calls for a truly independent and transparent investigation into JAMB’s financial and administrative activities, free from institutional influence and intimidation.
Chido Onumah,
Coordinator, AFRICMIL.
