*Photo R-L: Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, handing over to Prof. Segun Aina*
Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, today, Friday, 31st July, 2026 formally handed over leadership of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to the new Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina at a ceremony held at JAMB’s National Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, describing his decade-long stewardship as one that has transformed the institution.
In a valedictory address titled “History Made, Future Beckons,” Oloyede expressed profound gratitude to God, past and present leaders, governors, staff, and stakeholders for the support that enabled far-reaching reforms in Nigeria’s tertiary admissions process. He assumed office on August 9, 2016, under the banner “Let’s Do It Together.”
Oloyede highlighted five cardinal pillars that guided his administration: welfare, discipline, technology, transparency, and networking. Under his watch, JAMB significantly expanded Computer-Based Testing (CBT) infrastructure, introduced the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), deployed advanced biometrics, and strengthened digital systems including Remote Authoring and Moderation.
He noted substantial investments in staff welfare, including timely promotions, over ₦8 billion committed to retirement savings, “13th month” bonuses, examination duty incentives (raised to 20%), free meals, and medical support. Oloyede also pointed to infrastructure development across the country, with several states donating land and facilities for new Professional Test and Registration Centres (PTCs/PRCs) and zonal offices.
On discipline and accountability, he said the Board maintained a zero-tolerance stance, prosecuting erring staff and remitting scores of billions of naira in operational surpluses to the government treasury. He emphasized that transparency in admissions has virtually eliminated “under-the-table” practices.
“Whatever has been achieved represents only a platform upon which future administrations can build,” he stated, while acknowledging collective efforts and accepting responsibility for any shortcomings.
Oloyede praised the incoming Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, expressing confidence in his leadership. “I have no doubt that under the leadership of my successor, Professor Segun Aina… JAMB will continue to attain even greater heights,” he said, citing Aina’s younger age and ICT expertise as assets that would propel the Board forward. He pledged to offer advice if required.
The ceremony featured tributes to former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo, President Bola Tinubu, several Ministers of Education, and numerous state governors — including Babagana Zulum of Borno, Nyesom Wike (then of Rivers), Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and others — who supported JAMB’s infrastructure expansion.
Oloyede also extended appreciation to past JAMB Registrars, staff unions, examination bodies, security agencies, private CBT centre owners, civil society groups, and the media. He singled out Prof. Emeritus Peter Okebukola for documenting over 200 achievements during the period.
As he returned to private life, Oloyede thanked his family for their endurance and prayed for continued divine guidance for JAMB.
The handover marks a new chapter for the agency responsible for coordinating admissions into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, with stakeholders optimistic that the momentum of technological innovation, integrity, and expanded access will be sustained.
Read the full address below:
HISTORY MADE, FUTURE BECKONS
Address Delivered by the Outgoing Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, CON, FNAL, FNIM, at the Handover Ceremony to the new Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, at the National Headquarters of JAMB, Bwari, Abuja, on
Friday, July 31, 2026
HISTORY MADE, FUTURE BECKONS
Courtesies
My Gratitude
It is with a profound sense of gratitude to the Almighty Allah and immense appreciation to all people of goodwill that I address this distinguished audience today.
First and foremost, I return all glory to Almighty Allah, whose boundless mercy, wisdom and grace sustained me throughout these remarkable ten years. Through periods of daunting challenges, difficult policy decisions and far-reaching institutional reforms, His guidance remained my greatest source of strength. Whatever accomplishments have been recorded during this period are not mine alone; they are manifestations of His infinite favour and blessings.
While I am grateful to Allah for the grace of life, health and wisdom to steer the ship of this important agency, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), I must acknowledge that what we have done in the past ten years is the result of many people working together for a common purpose. I had no illusion right from the outset that I would depend on God’s guidance and people’s support, and this informed why my inaugural address when I took over the mantle of leadership on August 9, 2016, was “Let’s do it together….” I will make reference to the address later, as it is the template on which history is anchored.
Doing it together means that many colours make a rainbow and many flowers make a garden. Therefore, I express my gratitude to the former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who first appointed me following the recommendation of the former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, CON. I am also grateful to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, who earlier nominated or proposed me for a high position in government at a time when serving in government was not in my wildest dream, having served just a few years earlier as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, where I had the opportunity of leading not only the Vice Chancellors in Nigeria but also across Africa. My plan at the time was just to focus on family life and play my role within the nation’s religious establishment. Alas, this was not to be, as Mallam Adamu Adamu informed me that nobody rejects what is already concluded by the President of Nigeria.
I am indebted to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bolanle Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu, GCFR, for his confidence in me, and I acknowledge my Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, for his unalloyed cooperation, just as I appreciate his predecessor, Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN. In the same vein, I extend my deep appreciation to the Honourable Minister of State, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan. I sincerely thank the successive Permanent Secretaries of the ministry, particularly my brother, friend, benefactor and confidant, Arc. Dr. Sonny Echono.
I am fortunate to have enjoyed the cooperation, love and support of many former and serving Governors. The list is long but the world is aware of the extraordinary support of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that led to our mega PCT/PRC and the proposed Direct-Entry Guest House in Kaduna. The newly commissioned Mega Professional Test/Registration Centre and ultramodern North-East zonal office complex, built and donated by the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who also named the complex after me, is a proof of support and I am most grateful for the honour. Thank you, once again, Your Excellency, Prof. Zulum.
In thanking His Excellency, Governor Nyeson Wike, CON, who, as Governor of Rivers State, provided for the Board, within 24 hours of my distress call, two vehicles, a tastefully furnished multi-story office complex and a prized plot of land in Port Harcourt, I must not forget the critical facilitating role of my brother, Mr Tosin Ajayi, who by God’s grace is now the Director General of State Services.
To His Excellency, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, CON, SAN (Now Shehu of Lagos), Former Governor of Lagos State, who, as Minister of Works and Housing, facilitated the issuance of CofO of JAMB’s Ikoyi land, which would soon produce 15 Professional Test and Registration Centers across the nation, JAMB says thank you.
We thank His Excellency, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, FCA, CON, Former Governor of Ogun State, for the generous allocation of a strategic parcel of land, incorporating a billion-naira 10-story complex-foundation at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, to the Board for the development of the planned world-class South-West Mega Professional Test/ Registration Centre. His personal interest in the project, exemplified by his participation in the foundation-laying ceremony of the current Duplex JAMB PTC/PRC, at the same site, is commendable.
Equally appreciated is His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, the Executive Governor of Ogun State for rescinding the earlier threat of excising the developed project from the issued CofO in favour of the Board and restoring JAMB’s unfettered access to the whole plot for the construction of the proposed Mega PCT/PRC Complex. He has not only removed the embargo but also unequivocally indemnified the Board against all agencies of the state, thereby clearing the coast for the take-off of the delayed south-west mega PTC complex.
His Excellency, Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, Former Governor, Edo State, made an impact by his swift relocation of the JAMB site from a dungeon to a befitting site on which the magnificent PTC/PRC and Benin Zonal Office is now standing. He was personally involved in the planning and execution of the project.
Similarly, Distinguished Senator Rochas Anayo Okorocha, OON, Former Governor of Imo State, is also a significant benefactor for allocating a befitting land and issuing the CofO on the very day. The JAMB Owerri zonal office/ mega PTC/PRC is a testament to his invaluable support, which included the donation of a vehicle to the Board.
To His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, CON, Governor of Lagos State, we are grateful for the hospitality accorded me and the team on our begging visit to Lagos State. He provided all the requested land in four different parts of the state for the development of PTC/PRCs that are about to take off.
We are most grateful Their Excellencies, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON, Governor of Kwara State and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, for making it possible for the Board to have its state facilities in one spot in both Ilorin and Yenagoa, by relocating of the immediate neighbours of the JAMB offices in both states.
All these are just representatives of the cooperation received from governors across the country.
I would also like to express my profound appreciation to Ahmad Raji, SAN, whose remarkable generosity culminated in the donation of a fully equipped Professional Test Centre (PTC) in Iseyin. His unwavering commitment to expanding access to quality educational infrastructure and his enduring support for the Board’s vision are deeply appreciated. Such patriotic interventions demonstrate how private citizens can make lasting contributions to national development through education.
Similarly, Dr. Abdul-Rauf Adekunle Wale Babalakin, SAN, OFR, deserves our heartfelt accolades for his many strategic interventions and unwavering support over the years. Worthy of special mention is his magnanimity in granting the Board, free of charge, the use of the ultra-spacious and elegant Bola Babalakin Hall, Gbongan, for the hosting of our Annual Policy Meetings on several occasions. His consistent generosity and belief in the Board’s mission have greatly facilitated some of our most important national engagements, and for this, we remain profoundly grateful.
The story of JAMB is that of continuous progress and it is in this light that I duly acknowledge the contributions, work and worth of the past Registrars, Mr Michael S. Angulu (1977-1986); Dr Mohammed S. Abdulrahman (1986-1996); Prof. Bello Ahmed Salim (1996-2006); and my immediate predecessor, Prof. Adedibu Ojerinde, OFR (2007-2016). Without the solid foundation they laid, the trajectory of the Board would have been different and history would not have been made.
My sincere appreciation also goes to past Chairmen and Members of the Governing Board, whose wise counsel, strategic direction and commitment to sound corporate governance greatly enriched the administration of the Board. Their collective wisdom and support contributed immensely to the institutional stability and remarkable progress recorded during my tenure.
To the Directors, Heads of Units, Zonal Directors, State Coordinators and every member of staff of JAMB, both serving and retired since I assumed office, I remain profoundly grateful. Similarly, the constructive engagement of the two staff unions; Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSON) greatly contributed to meeting our targets. The successes recorded over the past decade are products of our collective vision, shared sacrifices and unwavering commitment to excellence. Your professionalism, resilience, discipline and readiness to embrace innovation transformed JAMB into an institution that today enjoys widespread national and international recognition for transparency, accountability, technological innovation and service delivery. I am privileged to have worked with such an exceptional team.
Though the exigencies of work would make one to be firm, the unassailable truth is that most of the JAMB staff are competent and committed Nigerians and I sincerely appreciate them for their work.
I recall that a former Minister of Education once invited me as Vice Chancellor, to ask about what I was doing about some bad elements at the University of Ilorin. I told the Minister that a dynamic organisation would contain the good, the bad and the ugly and that it is perfect for everyone within the University not to face the same direction. By the time I mentioned about five known professors, who happened to be among the seven on the Minister’s list, it was a bout of laughter and the matter ended there. Even if we have less than 50 individuals across board in JAMB who opt to face a different direction, out of 1,837 staff, the fact remains that JAMB is fantastic. Afterall, it is expected that we have a Judas out of every twelve people. I appreciate all the staff and I cherish your cooperation and service. I seldom say it in order to keep you on your toes but I now say it loud: thank you very much.
I equally acknowledge the invaluable support of our numerous stakeholders and partners, including State Governments; Federal Ministry of Education; the National Universities Commission; the National Board for Technical Education; the National Commission for Colleges of Education; tertiary institutions; West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB) and Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB); security agencies; professional bodies; service providers; the media; civil society organisations; and all others whose collaboration has been instrumental in advancing the Board’s statutory mandate. Their confidence, constructive engagement and shared commitment to national development have been invaluable.
To the millions of candidates, parents and guardians whom the Board exists to serve, I express my heartfelt appreciation for their trust, understanding and constructive feedback over the years. Their expectations continually challenged us to improve our systems and services, while reinforcing our determination to uphold the principles of fairness, equity and transparency.
As I reflect on this remarkable journey, I do so with immense gratitude rather than a sense of accomplishment. While I believe that, together, we have laid a solid foundation for a more transparent, efficient and globally respected admissions system, I remain conscious that institutional development is a continuous process. Whatever has been achieved represents only a platform upon which future administrations can build.
Beyond the staff and institutional partners are different categories of distinguished Nigerians who complemented our staff and supported our innovative frameworks to ensure success, guarantee service delivery, troubleshoot challenges and enforce compliance across the country before and during our Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). These are the Chairmen and members of the Chief External Examiners Group, Peace Monitors, the Civil Society Group, JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), the General Monitors Group, High-Powered Opinion Leaders, the Roving Group, the Technical Advisors Group, Virtues Vanguards, and NIPEDS committee. I thank them all through Prof. Emeritus Peter Okebukola, the Chairman of JEOG, whose extraordinary commitment to quality education and institutional excellence deserves a mention in the book of records.
I must not fail to appreciate the Nigerian media. The large number of editorials and opinion articles that has been brought to my attention in the past few weeks still surprises me as I find it unusual. I thank you all. I must acknowledge even those media organisations that cast doubt on my competence and wondered how I could succeed a Professor of Test and Measurement when I was appointed in 2016. For them to now write generously is quite unexpected but appreciated. I equally appreciate all men and women of goodwill, including colleagues, friends and associates, who have, one way or another, expressed a good word, shared a progressive idea, demonstrated support and offered advice in the course of this assignment. I cannot thank each of you enough, and may the Almighty Allah reward you in manifold ways.
My Stewardship
When I took over the mandate of leadership at JAMB, I outlined five cardinal points that my Administration would be anchored on in “Let’s Do It Together: The Biggest Room in the World”. These cardinal points are welfare, discipline, technology, transparency and networking. In these five, though perfection belongs to the Almighty Allah, I can confidently say we tried our best.
Given that no business or organisation can become greater than the thinking minds and consciousness of those who operate it, we took staff welfare with seriousness. Not only were deserving staff promoted as and when due, they were also provided with the tools to work and to a large extent, a conducive environment. This is reflected in the rehabilitation of existing structures and the construction of new ones across the country. Then, we committed over N8 billion to strengthening employees’ retirement savings and their overall financial stability, provided ‘retirement handshakes’ of between #3 million and #10 million to retiring staff and introduced an extra annual salary bonus called “13th month salary” to boost staff’s morale.
Besides, we introduced examination duty incentives of 10%, which we recently increased to 20%, and provided free daily meals. And for headquarters staff, we supplemented their salary with free transport for staff stationed at critical operational hubs. We also intervened in the medical treatment of staff, with a single staff member getting a sum of #12 million for his treatment at the National Hospital. We rewarded exceptional staff with cash and awards while we named a JAMB Zonal Office and a complex of PTC/PRCs after a staff member, demonstrating that hard work and resilience would not go unacknowledged. Even if some of the interventions drew legislative scrutiny, we stood by our decision because without dedicated and motivated staff, we won’t achieve the JAMB that Nigeria deserves. Beyond the staff, we also extended welfare to the students, reducing the cost of UTME application by 30% and sponsoring the special needs candidates and their guides to the exam venues in addition to refund of application fee, feeding and accommodating them. We also extended hands of fellowship to the institutions by dispensing, through NATAPM Award, about #750 million annually, to different tertiary institutions in the country.
It is said that the first law in heaven is discipline and indiscipline is the mother of all evils. Though we promote and enhance staff welfare, we did not condone indiscipline. In this regard, we did not shy away from maintaining strict discipline and more than 10 staff have faced prosecution over allegations of misconduct. The sensationalised case of a snake gulping #36 million naira that the media feasted on was just one of the measures taken to entrench discipline. I remember that the EFCC tweeted then that an “eagle (representing EFCC) shows no mercy for money-swallowing snake(s)”. I share the belief that we must all suffer for either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment. This is why discipline is incontestable as a cardinal principle of JAMB operations and that accounts for the well-known remittances of scores of billions in operational surpluses to the government treasury.
At the heart of our operational blueprint is technology and we owe many of our far-reaching reforms to innovative technologies. Scaling up of Computer-Based Test (CBT), improvement of digital architecture, creating Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), advanced biometric and identity verification, CCTV monitoring, digital PINs and payments as well as Remote Authoring and Moderation System (RAMS) and institutional digital transformation are some of the steps taken to make our operations seamless on rock-solid integrity. We also commenced the Bring-Your-Device initiative, which we believe will be perfected and operationalized. What happened last year which made me emotional was a proof that technology has its limits, just like everything human, and eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
My stewardship is also anchored on transparency as I believe that only darkness is afraid of light. In this regard, our operational and financial transactions are in the open domain and our weekly newsletter, JAMB Bulletin, always contains details of our activities and finances.
Transparency goes beyond the material and it involves the admission process itself. With a system like CAPS, which is deemed revolutionary, the admissions into our institutions are transparent and anyone can question why a candidate is not admitted despite meriting it. The syndrome of ‘under-the-table’ admissions has been confined to antiquity and this actually brings relief to all stakeholders because the records would be glaring to implicate anyone who circumvents laid down procedure. My belief is that transparency, which is about ensuring that honest, accurate and accessible information is available even before asking, transforms institutions by eliminating toxic silos.
Lastly, on networking, we could not have achieved anything without leveraging networks and partnerships. We enjoyed the cooperation of the security agencies and I thank the National Security Adviser, the Director General of State Services (DGSS), the Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Inspector General of Police and the Commandant-General of NSCDC. We networked functionally with our armed forces, the EFCC and ICPC. We also enjoyed working hand-in-hand with Vice Chancellors, Rectors and Provosts being Chief Examination Officers. We worked with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), civil society groups, the media, public institutions and 1,010 private CBT owners to achieve excellent service delivery. The contribution of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in providing highly valued Professional Test Centres is of immense benefit, for which we are grateful.
We cooperated with professional associations within and outside Nigeria, especially the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA), Association of West African Universities (AWAU) and the International Association for Educational Assessment (IEAA). We also established, in collaboration with 18 other credible national agencies and institutions, the Nigerian Educational Assessment Academy (NEAA) for the training of professionally competent educational assessors. That was the reason why I stated that working as a team with partners and networking with others makes us achieve more, TEAM meaning Together, Everyone Achieves More, which we held on to as a mantra.
In these five key areas and others, Prof. Emeritus Okebukola has painstakingly made a list of 200 achievements recorded and I thank him immensely for his labour of love and service to our dear nation. I must also put on record the foundational efforts of Sen. Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Mr Fabian Okoro, Dami Bamiro, and Maruf Afolabi, with whom we masticated the initial plan of action. Immense gratitude is also due to Professors Bashir Galadanci, Yahuza Bello, Boniface Ginikanwa Nworgu and Ekanem Ikpi Braide. The contributions of my dear brother, Mr Muftau Bello, FCA is unique. I cannot thank him enough for sincerity, incorruptibility and consistency. May God reward him abundantly.
My Successor’s Success
When I stood at the threshold of this national assignment ten years ago, I understood the depth of the responsibility placed on me. I knew the privilege and burden of stewarding a process that opens the doors to millions of Nigerians. One thing I remembered clearly was that I was just like a general on a military expedition and to fight, I needed officers and troops. God has been so helpful to make many good people come my way and with all these stakeholders, we have faced challenges and seized opportunities, confronted doubts and nurtured innovation. We have tried over the past ten years to sustain a noble mandate of ensuring fairness, standard and credibility in placing candidates in our tertiary institutions.
During this period, we modernised processes, invested in technology, drastically reduced malpractice and ensured transparency. We also raised the bar of accountability in ways that have restored confidence in the system and the integrity of the scores produced. We made mistakes and we corrected them. For whatever was done right, it was a collective effort. For whatever was not good enough, I accept responsibility and crave your pardon. What matters most is that the institution today is strengthened more than ever before.
As I hand over the leadership of this great institution, I do so with absolute confidence in its future. The Board is blessed with a dedicated workforce, robust institutional systems and an enduring culture of integrity. I have no doubt that under the leadership of my successor, Professor Segun Aina, and with the continued support of Government, the Governing Board, Management, staff and stakeholders, JAMB will continue to attain even greater heights in the service of our nation.
I wish my successor, Prof. Segun Aina, great success and his success is the success of all of us who have been privileged to steer JAMB since its inception. My belief is that the advantage and vibrancy of his younger age and his ICT expertise would propel the Board to higher heights than previously attained. He can rest assured of my advice if and when it is required. As I said at the beginning of this month during a JEOG National Engagement, my allusion to the surgeon who is only congratulated after a surgery was made at the beginning of my stewardship to deflect from receiving congratulatory messages.
Now that it appears that people took it literally, I enjoin all to appreciate that there is no success without a successor and they should rather support and pray for Prof. Aina’s success at this point. It is time to face the future with renewed vigour.
While returning to my family and my close circle of friends with gratitude,
I thank my wife, children, grandchildren and my bosom friends like blood brothers, who selflessly stood by me, supported me, and genuinely shared my pains and anxieties with the hope that it would soon be over. It is now over.
Finally, I thank Almighty Allah for the privilege of serving Nigeria through this noble institution. May He continue to guide, protect and bless the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in the faithful discharge of its statutory responsibilities for generations to come.
I thank you all for your rapt attention and wish you all the best as I hand over to my able and amiable successor, Prof. Aina, as he competently leads the Board to its future and the future is now. Prof. Aina, the sky shall be your beginning, not your limit!