Two major labour unions at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Association of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) have defended the proposed increase in allocation for staff feeding in the 2025 budget, saying the move is key to improving the level of productivity in the Board.
The unions clarified the rationale behind the N1.1bn proposed in the 2025 budget for the feeding scheme, countering recent reports about the figure.
They noted that the plan includes expanding the free lunch provision, previously exclusive to the headquarters, to over 2,300 staff across JAMB’s 44 offices nationwide.
Speaking during a health walk organised by JAMB to kickstart its 2025 activities in Abuja at the weekend, the Chairman of NASU at JAMB, Andrew Onakpa, commended the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, for prioritising staff welfare.
“Efforts by the Registrar to address staff welfare are humane and should not be discouraged,” he said.
While saying an improved feeding scheme will enhance the performance of staff, Onakpa said the union pushed for the inclusion of other JAMB offices, adding that they were even part of the negotiations with the vendors, ensuring transparency in the process.
“We have over 2,300 staff in more than 44 offices nationwide. When you calculate the cost of feeding across all working days in a year, the figure is understandably significant. It’s not about mismanagement; it’s about improving welfare,” he said.
He expressed concern over the backlash from the National Assembly during JAMB’s recent budget defence, warning it could jeopardise these initiatives.
Onakpa described the Registrar as “a man of high calibre” and urged him to maintain his commitment to improving staff welfare despite criticism.
On his part, ASCSN JAMB Branch Chairman Ebenezer Ayalibola echoed Onakpa’s sentiments, emphasising that the welfare committee meticulously calculated the feeding budget.
“This includes staff in outstations. If you multiply the agreed amount per staff per day across 12 months, the figure will naturally add up to N1.1bn. This was a collective decision by the welfare committee, not the registrar acting alone,” Ayalibola said.
Addressing the N850m reportedly proposed for fumigation, Ayalibola explained that the figure encompasses all cleaning services, fumigation, and security across JAMB’s offices nationwide.
“As for the fumigation, that money was not for just fumigation alone but along with all cleaning services and security for a year at all our offices nationwide too.
“The aggregate of all the salaries for our contractors who do all the services is what constituted that N850 million.
“These costs include the salaries of contractors providing these essential services,” he clarified.
Ayalibola noted that the welfare measures are part of JAMB’s Condition of Service, which is periodically reviewed and subject to National Assembly approval.
Recall that JAMB, during a budget defence exercise in the National Assembly last week, presented a proposal for an increase of staff feeding in 2025 to N1.1bn.
The cost of feeding was prompted by the rise in the cost of meals from N1,200 per day to N2,200 due to rising food prices, as well as the expansion of the scheme to cover 2,300 staff members throughout the working days in 2025.
The cost was projected to be N1.27bn but JAMB budgeted N1.1bn for this purpose.