*Photo: Professor Ishaq Oloyede, JAMB Registrar*
The Ummah Movement (UM), located at the National Islamic Centre, Dogarawa, Zaria, has thrown its weight behind the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede.
The Kaduna State based group said Nigerian Muslims are proud of him regarding the humility and simplicity with which he handled the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) glitches.
Ummah Movement in a statement by Prof. Muhammad Babangida, National Ameer, said
“In our tradition as Muslims, we are not normally encouraged to sing praises of our leaders except as circumstances may warrant. In Oloyede we find a worthy and trusted
personality who can be described as amin hazihil umah, that is, the ‘Trustee of this
Community’.”
The group said although Nigerians “are more familiar with haughty, arrogant and proud people in charge of their affairs at all levels”, in Oloyede, “Nigerians can now see that there are exceptional
leaders whose humility and simplicity are a sign of their greatness.”
Read the full statement below:
OLOYEDE – NIGERIAN MUSLIMS ARE PROUD OF YOU!
The Ummah Movement, speaking out of the National Islamic Centre at Dogarawa,
Zaria, notes that Nigerians are not used to leaders exemplifying and exhibiting humility
and simplicity. They are more familiar with haughty, arrogant and proud people in
charge of their affairs at all levels: horizontally at the Executive, Legislature and
Judiciary; and vertically at Federal, State and Local Government.
However, a change has appeared on the horizon – a new model to see and emulate. In
Professor Is’haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board (JAMB), as well as Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme
Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Nigerians can now see that there are exceptional
leaders whose humility and simplicity are a sign of their greatness.
In our tradition as Muslims, we are not normally encouraged to sing praises of our
leaders except as circumstances may warrant. In Oloyede we find a worthy and trusted
personality who can be described as amin hazihil umah, that is, the ‘Trustee of this
Community’. For Nigerian Muslims, Oloyede approximates that Trustee: honest,
trustworthy, reliable. Thanks be to Allah.
The first example of Oloyede’s trustworthiness was what he did not long after he was
appointed JAMB Registrar on 9th August, 2016; he surprised – and shocked – the
Nigerian nation with his return of N7.8 billion Naira in 2017 to Government Treasury,
as surplus. Yearly, he maintained this uncommon display of transparency and
accountability and in his nine years as Registrar, Prof. Oloyede has remitted nearly N60
billion to the government as against the paltry cumulative sum of N50 million ( yes,
million) remitted by JAMB between 1978 to 2016. It was unprecedented. The
Government itself was impressed! Today, JAMB is a completely transformed
institution, completely different from the rotten and corruption infested agency which
he had met.
Therefore, what happened recently concerning the glitch that occurred during the
JAMB-organised Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) was just what it
was – a glitch which can happen to any institution or nation. The digital world is no
one’s friend as to assure that all things will go right all through.
When it happened, Oloyede tearfully apologized to the nation and took full
responsibility for what he described as a regrettable technical oversight. According to
him, the problem originated from a service provider responsible for handling part of
the JAMB systems that failed to properly update delivery servers after a system patch.
Unfortunately, the error went unnoticed before the results were released.
Reaffirming the Board’s commitment to fairness, transparency, and equity, Oloyede assured the public that tighter safeguards will be implemented to prevent similar
incidents in future exams. That showed genuineness and forthrightness on the part of
the Registrar. We know very well that if it were others, it would be a flurry of denials
and lies and deceits, and then Nigerians would be clapping for him. Not so Oloyede –
being the courageous leader, he owned up and took responsibility. Therefore, for the
Nigerian Muslim Ummah, Oloyede has shown that he is an epitome of the ethical
Muslim.
In Islam, a leader is rewarded twice if he honestly experiments on something and succeeds, and is also rewarded once if he honestly experiments on something for the
good of the people and nation, but errs. Oloyede has succeeded in his reform of JAMB
99.9% of the way. This current glitch under discussion is only less than 0.1% of his
transformation of the institution.
He has made the JAMB system impenetrable, as it has
arguably become the best protected of Nigeria’s public establishments. No online
rogues have been able to breach JAMB’s fortress-like defences.
Some stakeholders present at the briefing expressed satisfaction with JAMB’s openness.
They commended the Board for admitting the error and acting swiftly to address it. In
Islam, we know that no human would escape being tried and tested with unforeseen
challenges. After Oloyede’s address last week, even people who may not be seen to be
his friends, came up in his support, because they see in him genuineness and honesty.
The revolution at JAMB would not have happened were it not for Oloyede’s singular
focus and resoluteness. Since assumption of office, Oloyede has been praised for
transforming JAMB into a reference point in effective public service
delivery, transparency and accountability.
Many commentators have said Oloyede is a ‘victim’ of his own excellence – such
glitches happen even in the most advanced countries. In Nigeria, it is only the private
sector – principally banking, telecoms and the oil industry – that are said to be digitally-
advanced at the global level. Yet the poor network and loss of funds in transfer errors
show how much a human product they remain. The public sector is famous for its corruption, opaqueness and murkiness. Yet, through dint of hard work, one public
establishment, JAMB, has joined the globally-recognised institutions that are excellently
run and managed, showing that the opaqueness of the Government is but artificial.
Everything about Professor Oloyede exudes the ethos of Islam, in which he is well
immersed. This is because he grew up in and was immensely influenced by the Muslim
Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN). That Islamic credential has made him today the
revered Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, the apex
organisation representing the interest of Nigerian Muslims. In many instances, Oloyede
represents, and speaks for, His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto, the President-General
of the Council and leader of Nigerian Muslims.
When he turned 70 last year and retired as a Professor of Islamic Studies at the
University of Ilorin, a Festschrift was presented to celebrate Oloyede. Chapter after
chapter, paper after paper, article after article in the publication extolled the virtues of
this leader par excellence, who has risen to straddle both the spiritual and temporal
worlds so excellently and effectively.
Oloyede’s exemplary moral, ethical and honest management of public offices –
University of Ilorin, Association of West African Universities, Association of African
Universities, JAMB, NSCIA, NIREC etc – have given pride to all Muslims, especially
students of Arabic and Islamic Studies in this country. His life has been exemplary in
conduct, character and demeanor.
We stand with Professor Oloyede in his trials and urge him to persevere and maintain
his dogged struggle to attain excellence in service. Someone has argued that what
happened was not simply a glitch but a systemic sabotage and this cannot be dismissed.
Why not investigate? Yes, more investigation could unravel some hidden forces bent
on discrediting not only the ‘Unique Patriotic Nigerian’ that Prof. Oloyede is, but the
agency of JAMB itself and what it represents. Transparency, sincerity and excellence
should be commended, not condemned.
Prof. Muhammad Babangida
National Ameer
08035805146