Ex JAMB registrar, Ojerinde arrested for awarding ‘pencil, eraser contracts’ for N900m

Ex JAMB registrar, Ojerinde arrested for awarding ‘pencil, eraser contracts’ for N900m

A former registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Pract

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A former registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for allegedly misappropriating N900 million.

Ojerinde who is Nigeria’s first professor of test and measurement, was arrested on March 15 in Abuja by operatives of the ICPC and he has been detained for questioning over multiple frauds he allegedly committed while heading JAMB and the National Examination Council (NECO), ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, disclosed.

Ojerinde would be questioned on allegations of multiple identities, abuse of office, money laundering, tax evasion and making false statements to public officials.

”The former JAMB boss is also being questioned by the commission for allegedly awarding fraudulent contracts to shell companies which cannot be traced,” Mr. Ogugua said.

Ojerinde was also said to have awarded contracts for the supply of pencils and erasers at the cost of N450 million each, to companies identified as Double 07 Concept Limited and Pristine Global Concept Limited, respectively between 2013 and 2014.

ICPC says that despite the huge sums of money allocated to these contracts, there is no evidence to show that the items which are examination materials were supplied as the contractors are seemingly non-existent.

“Similar contracts were allegedly awarded to Solid Figures Limited, Holywalk Limited and other companies for various sums without any trace of executions.” Ogugua added.

The ICPC spokesperson also revealed that Ojerinde is being held on a remand warrant and will soon be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigation.

Early last year, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had ordered the interim forfeiture of Gravity FM, Igboho and some other properties belonging to Ojerinde.