By Rasheed Abubakar
* After 10 years of transparent, sterling leadership
* His record-breaking reforms, enduring legacy and the next move
How should hard work, excellence and dedication to public service be rewarded? Is it by dancing, popping a bottle, receiving a standing ovation or exchanging warm embraces with colleagues at the end of a long journey? All of these, perhaps. The greatest reward, however, is what remains after the celebrations: an institution that is stronger, systems that work better and a legacy that outlives the great achiever.
That was the significance of Friday, July 31, 2026, when Professor Is-haq Oloyede formally bowed out as Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, after 10 years of service. At the Board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, he handed over the leadership to Professor Segun Aina, a Professor of Computer Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, marking the end of a decade that fundamentally altered the character, operations and public image of JAMB.
Oloyede’s departure was more than an ordinary change of leadership. It represented the closing chapter of one of the most remarkable landmarks in the history of public administration in Nigeria. For an organisation responsible for determining the educational pathway of millions of young Nigerians every year, the changes introduced under his watch affected candidates, parents, tertiary institutions, examination officials and the Federal Government.
When Oloyede assumed office in 2016, JAMB was already one of Nigeria’s most important education agencies, but it also faced serious challenges. Concerns over examination malpractice, impersonation, fraudulent examination centres, admission irregularities, cumbersome procedures and public confidence confronted the new Registrar. His response was to combine technology with institutional discipline, financial prudence with staff welfare and transparency with firm enforcement.
Ten years later, the JAMB he handed over was considerably different from the institution he inherited. Stakeholders including students and other Nigerians who witnessed the transformation widely agreed that his far-reaching reforms had made him the greatest reformer in the 48-year-old history of the examination body.
The Man Behind the Reforms
Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede is not an accidental administrator. His career reflects a long journey through Islamic scholarship, academia, university administration, Muslim leadership and national service.
Born on October 10, 1954, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oloyede developed an early interest in Arabic and Islamic scholarship. He studied Arabic and Islamic Studies before proceeding to the University of Ilorin, where he graduated with a First Class degree in Arabic in 1981.
He joined the University of Ilorin as an Assistant Lecturer in 1982 and steadily rose through the academic ranks. He eventually became a Professor of Islamic Studies and later served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin from 2007 to 2012.
His university career gave him substantial experience in managing a complex institution, dealing with staff, students, finances, government authorities and other stakeholders, interestingly, locally and internationally, indeed, continentally. Oloyede’s extraordinary performance endeared him to fellow vice-chancellors beyond Nigeria to the extent that he ultimately emerged as the first Nigerian to become the President of the Association of African Universities, AAU. Oloyede’s leadership ingenuity later inspired the administrative philosophy that would later become visible at JAMB.
Beyond the university system, Oloyede became prominent in the Nigerian Muslim community. His service as Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, placed him among the country’s leading Muslim administrators and public intellectuals.
A Decade Built Around Reform
Oloyede’s administration was built around several interrelated principles: welfare, discipline, technology, transparency and strategic partnerships.
Rather than attempting to solve JAMB’s problems through isolated interventions, he pursued a broad institutional transformation. Technology was deployed to improve examination security and admissions. Financial controls were strengthened. Staff welfare was expanded. Candidates were given greater access to digital services, while examination malpractice and other forms of misconduct were met with repulsive sanctions.
From CBT to a New Era of Examination
When JAMB began Computer-Based Testing nearly two decades ago, little did many people know that it was inspired by what Oloyede had pioneered at Unilorin as VC. JAMB therefore had to understudy Unilorin.
By the time he had to assume the leadership of JAMB, the system was still in its early stages, with limited CBT centres, merely basic infrastructure and, ironically, many candidates unfamiliar with taking examinations on computers. Under Oloyede, CBT evolved into a sophisticated and nationally reliable system.
The incessantly adventurous scholar even introduced Mock UTME at no cost to interested candidates.
He went on to expand the network of accredited centres, strengthened biometric verification, introduced CCTV surveillance and tighter centre standards, and deployed digital monitoring systems to track the examination process more effectively.
The transformation meant that CBT was no longer simply about candidates answering questions on computers; it became an integrated system for candidate identification, examination security, monitoring and the prevention of malpractice, helping to make the UTME more credible, efficient and transparent.
CAPS and the Digitalisation of Admissions
One of the most significant reforms of the Oloyede era was the development and expansion of the Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS. Admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions had long been one of the most sensitive aspects of the education system. Candidates often faced uncertainty over admission offers, while institutions had to manage increasingly large numbers of applicants.
CAPS brought greater structure and transparency to the process by creating a digital platform through which admissions could be processed and monitored. The significance of the reform went beyond convenience. It helped strengthen JAMB’s coordinating role in the tertiary admissions process and reduced opportunities for some of the manipulation associated with opaque and fragmented admission procedures.
The War Against Examination Malpractice
Oloyede in his characteristic consistency with transparency unleashed uncompromising campaign against examination malpractice. Biometric verification made impersonation more difficult, while CCTV surveillance, tighter monitoring of examination centres and stronger centre accreditation procedures increased the risks for those attempting to compromise the UTME. The reported figures provide an indication of the impact. Examination malpractice cases fell from 123 in 2024 to 85 in 2025 and 52 in 2026.
An earlier comparison also showed impersonation cases falling dramatically from about 74,000 to 4,900 following the implementation of stronger verification measures. The significance of these figures lies not simply in the number of cases detected. They demonstrate an attempt to redesign the examination environment itself so that cheating would become extinct or at least, more difficult. Oloyede’s approach was also characterised by the willingness to sanction those within the system who violated established standards. More than 10 JAMB staff members were prosecuted for alleged misconduct during his tenure.
The Financial Transformation
Perhaps the most striking evidence of the Oloyede era is found in JAMB’s finances.
During his 10-year tenure, the Board remitted more than N50 billion to the Federal Government. In one year alone, its remittance exceeded N7 billion. The figure became particularly more significant when compared with the approximately N50 million reportedly remitted by previous administrations over nearly four decades.
The transformation was not simply about generating more money. It reflected a broader approach to financial management, expenditure control and accountability. Oloyede repeatedly emphasised that public money belonged to the public and that a government agency should be able to account for the resources entrusted to it. His tenure therefore turned JAMB into an unusual example of a public institution that could simultaneously expand its services, invest in technology, improve staff welfare and still remit substantial funds to the owner government. An avowed believer in surrender value, like he pioneered at UNILORIN, Oloyede initiated the weekly bulletin published by JAMB. In addition to reporting all other activities of the Board, the bulletin consistently reported the income and expenditure of the Board for the whole world to see.
Amanah and the Meaning of Public Service
For Muslim News Nigeria, there is an important dimension to this story that goes beyond statistics. Oloyede is a conscious and practising Muslim whose academic career has been rooted in Islamic Studies and whose public life has included senior responsibilities within the Nigerian Muslim community. The Islamic concept of amanah, or trust, provides a useful framework for understanding his approach to public administration.
In Islam, leadership is not simply a privilege. It is a responsibility for which a person is ultimately accountable.
That principle was visible in Oloyede’s repeated emphasis on transparency, financial accountability, discipline and responsibility. It would be simplistic to claim that every reform introduced at JAMB was directly caused by his religious background. His transformation of the institution also depended on professional competence, technology, teamwork and administrative experience. However, his Islamic worldview undoubtedly provides the important context for the seriousness with which he approached the idea of stewardship.
Welfare, Discipline and the JAMB Workforce
One of the less publicised aspects of his administration was the emphasis on staff welfare. Oloyede disclosed that more than N8 billion was committed to staff retirement savings and related welfare initiatives. His administration also introduced a 13th month salary, increased examination duty allowances from 10 per cent to 20 per cent and provided free transportation and meals for staff involved in examination duties.
Retiring employees reportedly received retirement packages ranging from N3 million to N10 million.
Medical assistance was also provided to staff. In one cited case, JAMB reportedly spent N12 million on the treatment of a staff member at the National Hospital.
The message was clear: an institution that demanded commitment from its workforce also had a responsibility to care for its employees. At the same time, Oloyede maintained that welfare could not be separated from discipline. Staff who breached the rules were not shielded simply because of their employment status.
Putting Candidates at the Centre
The reforms were not restricted to institutional efficiency. Oloyede’s administration also introduced measures intended to reduce the financial and physical burden on candidates.
According to his valedictory account, JAMB reduced the cost of UTME application forms by 30 per cent during his tenure.
The Board also expanded support for candidates living with disabilities. Over the period covered by its inclusion initiatives, 4,216 candidates with disabilities benefited from measures designed to facilitate their participation in the examination. This included candidates with visual impairment, autism, Down syndrome and albinism.
Rewarding Excellence in Tertiary Institutions
Oloyede also sought to influence the wider tertiary education system through the National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit, NATAPM, awards. The initiative recognises tertiary institutions for their performance in the admissions process, with about N750 million reportedly distributed annually.
The programme reflected an attempt to encourage institutions to improve their own processes rather than leaving JAMB to carry the entire burden of maintaining standards.
It also demonstrated Oloyede’s broader understanding of institutional reform. JAMB could not improve the admission system by focusing exclusively on its own internal operations. Universities, polytechnics and colleges also had to be encouraged to uphold standards.
When JAMB Faced an Unprecedented Challenge
A fair assessment of the Oloyede years must also acknowledge that his decade was not without challenges. The most notable came during the 2025 UTME, when technical problems affected 379,997 candidates across 157 centres in Lagos and the five South East states, forcing JAMB to order a resit for the affected candidates. The Board attributed the problem to faulty server updates by a technical service provider, which affected the uploading of candidates’ responses.
The crisis was compounded by the 20 suspects arrested by security agencies over alleged hacking of JAMB’s CBT servers. The suspects were reportedly linked to a syndicate accused of deliberately sabotaging the system to discredit JAMB and undermine the credibility of computer based examinations. While investigations continued, the incident highlighted the increasingly sophisticated threats facing JAMB’s technology driven system.
Oloyede publicly accepted responsibility and apologised to affected candidates, becoming emotional while addressing the crisis. For an administrator whose tenure was defined by accountability, it was a reminder that true accountability means accepting responsibility when systems encounter serious challenges.
The University of Ilorin Legacy
The reforms at JAMB did not emerge in isolation. Oloyede’s earlier experience as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin prepared him substantially for the enormous managerial responsibilities he would later assume at JAMB.
Professor Wahab Egbewole, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, once noted that Oloyede replicated at JAMB some of the reforms he had introduced during his time at the university. This continuity is important.
It shows that Oloyede’s approach to administration was rather proactive, not simply a reaction to the challenges he encountered at JAMB. It was part of a leadership philosophy that had developed over decades.
A Decade of Collective Achievement
Despite the strong association between Professor Is-haq Oloyede and JAMB’s transformation, he consistently acknowledged that the achievement was not his alone. At the valedictory ceremony in his honour, he appreciated President Bola Tinubu, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, successive Ministers of Education, governors, heads of tertiary institutions, security agencies, development partners, JAMB management and staff for their support. Oloyede’s contribution was not that he did everything himself, but that he provided the leadership, direction and accountability that brought thousands of people together to build stronger systems and transform JAMB into a more efficient and credible institution.
Sponsored
Nigerian Muslim Personalities of the Year 2024/2025
Global Muslim Personalities of the Year 2024/2025
Discover more from Muslim News Nigeria
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.