Nigeria’s education community on Friday night celebrated the immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, as he formally bowed out after a decade of sweeping reforms that transformed the examination body into one of the country’s most transparent and accountable public institutions. The……
Nigeria’s education community on Friday night celebrated the immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, as he formally bowed out after a decade of sweeping reforms that transformed the examination body into one of the country’s most transparent and accountable public institutions.
The reception, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel shortly after Oloyede handed over the leadership of JAMB to his successor, Professor Segun Aina, drew an array of dignitaries, including the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa; Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad and former Minister of Education, Professor Chinwe Obaji.
Others are the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN); members of the National Assembly, vice-chancellors, heads of tertiary institutions, JAMB management and staff, family members and friends.
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Leading the tributes, Alausa described Oloyede’s tenure as “nothing short of transformational,” saying his leadership repositioned JAMB into one of Nigeria’s most respected public institutions through accountability, transparency, innovation and efficient service delivery.
“It is with profound admiration and deep appreciation that I pay tribute to Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede as he concludes his distinguished tenure as Registrar of JAMB,” the minister said.
According to him, working closely with Oloyede afforded him firsthand knowledge of the former registrar’s unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, courage and visionary leadership.
He noted that under Oloyede’s watch, JAMB significantly enhanced the credibility of Nigeria’s admissions process while restoring public confidence in tertiary education admissions through reforms anchored on transparency and accountability.
Alausa particularly praised Oloyede’s prudent financial management, describing him as a model of incorruptibility whose insistence on due process and ethical conduct transformed JAMB into a shining example of good governance.
“His tenure has demonstrated that public institutions can be efficient, transparent, technologically driven and citizen-focused when led by individuals of character and conviction,” he said.
Also paying glowing tribute, Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Said Ahmad, said Oloyede’s administration would be remembered as a defining era in Nigeria’s tertiary admissions system.
She described him as an exceptional administrator, distinguished scholar and exemplary public servant whose years in office were characterised by integrity, innovation, discipline and unwavering commitment to excellence.
According to her, Oloyede’s strategic deployment of technology strengthened transparency, drastically reduced examination malpractice, improved service delivery and enhanced institutional credibility.
“Under his visionary leadership, JAMB emerged as one of the most credible and technologically driven examination bodies in Africa,” she said.
The former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, described Oloyede as a transformational leader whose character and courage redefined public administration.
She said the immediate past registrar restored public confidence in JAMB and transformed the agency from a conventional examination body into a globally respected institution driven by technology, transparency and institutional reforms.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole (SAN), described Oloyede as an uncommon Nigerian whose footprints at both the University of Ilorin and JAMB would remain indelible.
He recalled Oloyede’s remarkable achievements as Vice-Chancellor of the university, describing him as the architect of modern Unilorin who revolutionised infrastructure, human capital development and institutional growth.
Egbewole said Oloyede later replicated the same reformist zeal at JAMB by restoring integrity to the admissions process, strengthening public confidence and demonstrating that honesty and patriotism remain viable tools for public service.
Speakers at the event unanimously agreed that Oloyede leaves behind a stronger, more credible and technologically advanced JAMB than he inherited in 2016, noting that one of the most celebrated aspects of Oloyede’s decade-long tenure remains his unprecedented financial accountability.
While previous administrations reportedly remitted about ₦50 million to the Federal Government over nearly four decades, Oloyede returned more than ₦7 billion in a single year and over ₦50 billion during his ten-year stewardship.
His reforms also fundamentally changed Nigeria’s admissions landscape.
