PROFESSOR IS-HAQ OLOYEDE: The man who made Nigeria’s JAMB truly worth its salt

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Technology, in the hands of a weak institution, can merely digitise inefficiency. But when combined with strong administration, it can become a tool for transparency, accountability and fairness. This is where Oloyede’s leadership philosophy appears to have made a difference. He has consistently projected the idea that public institutions must work for the public. In an environment where citizens often complain about bureaucracy and inefficiency, JAMB under his leadership has increasingly demonstrated that government agencies can be professionally managed, technologically modernised and held to standards of performance.

There are public institutions that exist merely because the law says they should. There are others that, through the quality of leadership they receive, evolve into institutions that command respect, inspire confidence and become reference points for national transformation.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) belongs, increasingly, to the latter category—and much of that transformation is inseparable from the name of Professor Is-haq Oloyede.

For many Nigerians, JAMB was once associated with long queues, anxious candidates, examination malpractice, result controversies, admission uncertainties and the perennial frustrations that often accompanied the search for a place in Nigeria’s higher education system. Today, while challenges undoubtedly remain, the agency has undergone a remarkable transformation in its public image, operational efficiency, technological sophistication and institutional credibility.

At the centre of this story is a man whose career has been defined by an unusual combination of intellect, administrative discipline, faith, transparency and a deep commitment to institutional integrity.

Professor Is-haq Oloyede did not simply inherit JAMB; he inherited the enormous responsibility of managing one of Nigeria’s most sensitive public institutions. Every year, millions of young Nigerians place their hopes, dreams and ambitions in the hands of the examination and admission system. Behind every candidate is a family waiting, praying and investing in the possibility of a better future.

To manage JAMB, therefore, is to manage more than an examination. It is to manage the dreams of a generation.

And it is precisely in this context that Oloyede’s contribution deserves recognition.

From Examination Board to Institution of Public Confidence

One of the most significant changes associated with Professor Oloyede’s leadership has been the gradual repositioning of JAMB as an institution that Nigerians increasingly see as more accountable, more technology-driven and more responsive to public expectations.

Under his stewardship, the board has embraced digital systems and technology in ways that have fundamentally changed the experience of candidates. The Computer-Based Test (CBT) system, improved registration processes, biometric verification and other technological interventions have helped reduce some of the weaknesses traditionally associated with large-scale examinations.

The significance of these reforms goes beyond technology.

Technology, in the hands of a weak institution, can merely digitise inefficiency. But when combined with strong administration, it can become a tool for transparency, accountability and fairness.

This is where Oloyede’s leadership philosophy appears to have made a difference.

He has consistently projected the idea that public institutions must work for the public. In an environment where citizens often complain about bureaucracy and inefficiency, JAMB under his leadership has increasingly demonstrated that government agencies can be professionally managed, technologically modernised and held to standards of performance.

The War Against Examination Malpractice

Perhaps one of the greatest battles facing Nigeria’s education system is examination malpractice.

For decades, malpractice has threatened the integrity of academic qualifications and undermined the principle that educational advancement should be based on merit and genuine intellectual achievement.

Oloyede has been outspoken in confronting this challenge.

Through tighter examination procedures, biometric controls, technological monitoring and stronger institutional measures, JAMB has continued to pursue a system in which candidates are expected to earn their results rather than purchase or manipulate them.

This is not always popular.

A serious fight against malpractice inevitably creates enemies among those who profit from the weaknesses of a system. Yet an examination body cannot become credible by pleasing everybody. Its first responsibility must be to protect the integrity of the examination process.

In this regard, Oloyede’s tenure has reinforced the principle that Nigeria’s educational future cannot be secured on the foundation of fraud.

The Human Face Behind the Institution

Beyond statistics, policies and technology is the human side of JAMB.

Every year, millions of young Nigerians sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), many of them from disadvantaged backgrounds. For some, it is their first major encounter with a national institution. Their experience can shape their perception of government and public service for years to come.

Professor Oloyede’s approach has often emphasised the need to make the system more accessible and responsive to candidates.

His public engagements, willingness to explain controversial issues and readiness to address questions surrounding the board have contributed to a leadership style that is more visible than that of many bureaucratic institutions.

He has also repeatedly demonstrated an understanding that JAMB is not merely an examination agency. It is part of the machinery through which Nigeria determines access to higher education and, by extension, the future of its human capital.

A Reputation Built on Accountability

In a country where public institutions frequently face questions about financial accountability, one of the most striking aspects of JAMB’s recent history has been the emphasis placed on financial prudence and institutional responsibility.

Oloyede has become associated with the argument that public funds must be managed as a sacred trust.

This philosophy has helped shape a public perception of JAMB as an institution that can generate substantial revenue while simultaneously demonstrating a stronger sense of financial responsibility.

The larger lesson is important.

The challenge in Nigeria is not always the absence of resources. Sometimes, it is the failure to manage available resources with discipline, transparency and purpose.

JAMB’s experience under Oloyede offers a compelling counter-narrative: that when leadership combines competence with accountability, public institutions can achieve more with what they have.

A Scholar Who Understands Administration

Professor Is-haq Oloyede’s academic background is an important part of the story.

As a scholar and university administrator, he came into public service with an understanding of the educational system from multiple perspectives. His experience in academia and administration gave him a broad appreciation of the challenges facing Nigerian education.

But what has distinguished his leadership is the apparent ability to translate intellectual knowledge into practical administration.

There is often a gap between knowing what should be done and actually doing it.

Oloyede’s record at JAMB has been defined by attempts to close that gap.

He has approached the board as an institution that must continuously reform itself, embrace technology, protect standards and remain accountable to the Nigerian people.

The Bigger Picture: Restoring Faith in Public Institutions

Perhaps the most important legacy of Professor Oloyede’s leadership is not any single policy or technological innovation. It is the possibility that his tenure represents for Nigeria’s broader public service.

JAMB’s story suggests that public institutions do not have to remain permanently trapped in the culture of inefficiency.

With competent leadership, they can change.

With accountability, they can regain public confidence.

With technology, they can become more efficient.

With courage, they can confront entrenched interests.

And with a clear sense of purpose, they can serve citizens better.

That is why the story of Oloyede and JAMB is larger than one man and one agency. It is a story about what Nigeria can achieve when public office is approached as a responsibility rather than an opportunity for personal enrichment.

A Man Who Raised the Bar

Professor Is-haq Oloyede may not be without critics, and no public administrator is immune from legitimate scrutiny. Indeed, public accountability requires that every public institution and its leadership remain open to constructive criticism.

But even in the midst of debate, one fact is difficult to ignore: JAMB today occupies a different place in the Nigerian public consciousness from the institution many Nigerians knew years ago.

The board has become more visible, more technologically advanced and more institutionally assertive. Its operations have increasingly become subjects of national conversation, not merely because of the millions of candidates it serves, but because of the standards it has sought to establish.

That is the mark of consequential leadership.

The true test of a public servant is not the number of speeches delivered or the length of time spent in office. It is whether the institution entrusted to his care is stronger, more credible and more capable when he leaves than when he arrived.

By that measure, Professor Is-haq Oloyede’s stewardship of JAMB deserves a place in the conversation about Nigeria’s most notable public-sector reforms.

He has shown that a government agency can be more than an office.

It can be an institution.

It can be efficient.

It can be accountable.

It can embrace innovation.

And, most importantly, it can earn the confidence of the people it was created to serve.

For millions of Nigerian youths whose academic aspirations pass through the doors of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede’s name will remain associated with a period in which the board sought to raise the bar, modernise its operations and restore dignity to the process of gaining admission into higher education.

In the final analysis, the story of Professor Is-haq Oloyede is not simply the story of a professor who became a public administrator.

It is the story of a man who took responsibility for an institution at the heart of Nigeria’s educational future—and helped convince a nation that, even within the difficult landscape of public service, excellence, integrity and purposeful leadership are still possible.

That, perhaps, is why many Nigerians will continue to say that Professor Is-haq Oloyede did not merely manage JAMB.

He made JAMB truly worth its onions.

*Adefaka, a prince of two Ondo State kingdoms, is Nigeria-based media proprietor and publisher of The DEFENDER Newspaper.