Oloyede: Emotion, Encomium and Eulogies follow his Exit (I)

By Abdulfattah Abdussalam

As he pens down his tenure as the most impactful Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar in the history of the Board, Professor Is’haq Olarenwaju Oloyede has elicited Emotion, encomium, and Eulogies from many Nigerians, regardless of tribe, religion, or status.

Across notable media platforms, Oloyede’s name resonates, and like a colossus, he bestrode Nigeria’s educational landscape, particularly the corridors of the admission process, exhibiting impeccable character never witnessed in our history. For ten years, he was in the news for his diligence, bravery, passion, sincerity and uncommon exemplary administrative acumen.

I remember his appointment in 2016 by the then President of Nigeria, the Late Muhammadu Buhari GCFR; his appointment into the office was greeted with mixed acceptance, considering his educational background, as some alluded then: what would a  Professor of Arabic and Islamic education do at the “popular” Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, as Registrar JAMB! Being a past Vice Chancellor of a Federal Government University, the prestigious University of Ilorin notwithstanding. Some Nigerians thought he was a round peg in a square hole. Many never imagined he would record world-class performances before he exited the seat.

He resumed at the JAMB office on August, 9 2016, and one would remember his Spartan starts, where he cleaned the Augean stable in a jiffy. His dexterity in addressing the rots and deep-seated corruption in JAMB fostered in Nigerians a new lexical terminology that qualified deep-rooted money stealing by unscrupulous government officials in Nigeria, the “Snake Swallowing Money” saga. Within a year, JAMB transformed into an income-generating source for the Federal Government of Nigeria, away from the hitherto money-gulping entity. That exposed the wanton stealing in the organization, under his predecessors, particularly his immediate predecessor, Professor Dibu Ojerinde.

In eras preceding his tenure, JAMB was posting deficits and debts. Ridiculously, on one occasion, Dibu Ojerinde posted only five million naira as profit in his last year in the office, whereas, in his own first year as Registrar, Oloyede posted and deposited 1.5 billion naira into the Federal Government Treasury account. Naira as profit! In subsequent years, through his strict financial discipline, the Board remitted “scores of billions of naira” as operational surpluses into the Federal Government’s treasury. What an uncommon feat from a Nigerian Public Servant.

In no time, he transformed JAMB into an efficient, reliable, and tech-savvy examination board worthy of emulation by other examination bodies and government agencies, including those conducting promotional examinations. The creation of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) under his leadership reformed Nigeria’s admission process. Examinations conducted by JAMB became a true test of the abilities of candidates seeking admission into Nigeria’s higher institutions and set a new standard in the country’s educational reforms.

Except for a few technical hitches caused by mechanical faults and internet outages, the yearly examination remained top-notch, eliminating the culture of under-the-table admissions and significantly reducing examination malpractice in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Generally, cheating during the UTME and candidate impersonation became increasingly rare under his watch. CAPS also eliminated arbitrary admissions and made institutional admission processes more transparent and accountable.

His coming curtailed the yearly increment in examination fees for Students seeking admission by reducing the cost of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination application by 30 per cent. In ten years, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination application fees virtually stagnated.  Parents paid N7,200 for UTME, without their children’s participation in the JAMB optional mock examination, N8700 for those willing to take the mock examination, and N5700 for direct Entry. Interestingly, the breakdown of the fees further attests to his quintessential personality and a true reflection of his striving efforts as a servant of Allah, who is afraid of his day with Allah.

JAMB, in his time, also provided financial support for candidates living with disabilities, including transportation, accommodation, feeding and refunds of application fees.

This polyvalent personality, in the Last ten years, has transformed JAMB in many dimensions, and with that maverick transformation, Nigeria’s educational and human capital cauldron will never be the same again.  Unlike in the past, where JAMB was a haven for porous admission and a conduit pipe for fleecing parents who sought admissions for their children, Oloyede’s JAMB stands on integrity, competence, brilliance, and ability-driven.  Today, candidates admitted through its examination can stand shoulder-high, knowing that they merited the admissions both in character and hard work and not by cheating or parental influence, or monetary inducements of admission officials.

Through his compassion and thoroughness, most of the admitted students are now graduates and are being employed in various capacities, oiling Nigeria’s economic and industrial development. Already, one noticeable result his tenure has brought to the Nigerian educational sector is that Nigerian universities, through the performance of these students, are now climbing in world performance index standards. The standards have improved, especially in Federal Universities. The products of Nigerian universities admitted and graduated are now true scholars.

Oloyede’s ten years in JAMB will elicit emotions for a long time by every stakeholder in the educational sector for his bonhomie spirit. The yearly admission policy sessions assembled together vice chancellors, Provosts, Registrars, Admission officers, proprietors, CBT facility owners and other stakeholders in a comradely atmosphere.  The sessions moderate admission cut-off marks for each tier of the higher institution, in agreement with stakeholders, often influenced by candidates’ performances and policy direction of the Federal Government on Higher institutions’ admission.

The sessions often give opportunity to address admission challenges and celebrate achievements of each institution and improve the credibility of admissions nationwide. In his tenure, JAMB annually disbursed about ₦750 million to tertiary institutions through its National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award to have direct impacts on the beneficiaries for infrastructural development

He anchored his institutional reforms that shaped his performance at JAMB on five cardinal points, which included profound Staff welfare. He and his team in JAMB invested over ₦8 billion in strengthening employees’ retirement savings and introduced several welfare packages, including a 13th-month salary, examination duty incentives, and free transportation for critical staff and financial support for medical treatments. “Retirement handshakes” ranged between ₦3 million and ₦10 million, while outstanding staff members were rewarded with cash prizes and institutional honours.

Technologically, JAMB significantly expanded computer-based testing and introduced innovations such as advanced biometric verification, CCTV monitoring, digital payment systems, the remote Authoring and Moderation System, prompt release of the UTME results and easy access to results by candidates, using telecommunication code. It also celebrates the best candidates as models for others.

Always exceptionally smart and blessed by his Creator with bright, cocky intelligence in his career and political offices.  In JAMB, History recorded over 200 achievements against his name after a golden decade in office, setting arduous tasks for his successors.   One incident Nigerians will not forget easily was the day he wept openly on National Television. That incident will always come back to many as a testimony to his humane personality, hidden behind his façade as a no-nonsense Administrator.

He wept over the technical challenges experienced during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination because he felt that they may have scuttled the chances of thousands of candidates seeking admission and proved that despite all efforts put in place for a successful examination that year, unforeseen technical glitches can cause untold disruption, but more importantly, on the aspirations of candidates.

The reforms defined his tenure. The reaction to his departure defined his legacy. That story continues in Part II.

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