Oloyede returns to academia after 10 years at JAMB

The outgoing Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, has said he would return to academia and devote more time to religious activities after completing his 10-year tenure.

Oloyede, who officially handed over to the new JAMB Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, on Friday in Abuja said years of public service required difficult decisions that sometimes tested personal convictions.

He added that he needed time for spiritual reflection and renewal, admitting that the demands of public service had taken a toll on his spiritual life.

While defending the Board’s controversial decision to sanction 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme, Oloyede said he had no regrets because the action was necessary to safeguard the credibility of the country’s admissions process.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin said his next assignment would be to return to teaching and deepen his commitment to religious activities.

“But for me, what’s next is back to my class and my religious activities. I think that is what is next for me.

“You cannot serve in these past 10 years without losing one spiritual quality or the other, so I need to go back. We are in a very dangerous system that, in one way or the other, you will have violated your own principles.

“You need some time to go and beg God for what was done. And you have to accept the responsibility because for each and every one of them,” he said.

Oloyede attributed JAMB’s achievements over the past decade to the dedication of the Board’s workforce, expressing confidence that his successor would consolidate on the reforms already introduced.

“The achievements recorded during my time in office were made possible by the collective commitment and hard work of the Board’s workforce,” he said, adding that he believed Prof. Aina would take the organisation “to greater heights.”

On the controversy surrounding Ejikeme, Oloyede maintained that JAMB acted appropriately in sanctioning the candidate after investigations established that she manipulated her UTME score from 249 to 362.

Describing Mmesoma as “our daughter,” he said the Board acted as a responsible institution determined to uphold the integrity of its examinations.

He noted that although many Nigerians initially believed the candidate’s claims, subsequent investigations vindicated the Board’s position.

“No hard feelings. If there is any regret, it is that she did what she did because she is part of us. We did what we should do and, of course, we regret that she did what she did.

“Many people, unfortunately, were misdirected. But as soon as the truth was established, everybody who was supporting her accepted the truth of the matter,” he said.

He stressed that the three-year ban imposed on the candidate was intended to deter examination malpractice rather than punish her.

In his acceptance speech, Aina pledged to sustain JAMB’s reputation for transparency, credibility and technological innovation.

He added that his immediate focus would be to understudy the Board’s existing systems before introducing any new initiatives.

“The integrity of JAMB is not negotiable. Those harbouring thoughts of outsmarting the system should abandon such plans because our technology-driven processes will continue to frustrate every form of malpractice and fraud.

“My immediate priority will be to listen, observe and thoroughly interrogate existing systems before implementing changes,” he said.