In a historic valedictory assessment that redefines the parameters of public institutional reform in Nigeria, the outgoing Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, has identified systemic worker fortification as his crowning legacy. Declaring that his ultimate achievement lies in leaving the apex examination body in a fundamentally superior state than he inherited it.
Oloyede revealed a monumental ₦8 billion commitment dedicated exclusively to staff welfare and pension security. Far from a mere budgetary expenditure, this unprecedented financial restructuring serves as a deliberate strategic shield systematically insulating personnel from financial vulnerability, locking out operational graft, and firmly institutionalising JAMB’s foundational core values of probity and absolute transparency.
The formal transition took place on Friday, July 31, 2026, during a high-profile handing-over ceremony at the JAMB National Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja. Speaking at the event, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) reflected on a transformative decade at the helm of the apex admissions board. Oloyede’s historic tenure began on August 9, 2016, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, followed by a well-merited second-term reappointment in August 2021.
Stepping into this legacy of sweeping institutional reform is Professor Segun Aina, a distinguished Computer Engineering expert from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. Appointed by President Bola Tinubu, Aina assumes office as the sixth Registrar in JAMB’s history, breaking boundaries as the youngest executive ever to lead the board.
Reflecting on his transformative 10-year journey at the helm of the apex examination board, Professor Oloyede declared that spearheading this institutional overhaul stands as his absolute crowning life achievement.
“I did not leave JAMB worse than I met it is my greatest achievement,” he stated firmly.
He further revealed that his administrative masterclass was never an accident, but the result of a deliberate, five-pronged strategic roadmap laid out on his very first day in office.
“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’,” Oloyede recalled.
“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.”
‘WE COMMITTED N8BN TO STAFF WELFARE’
Detailing the mechanics of his institutional overhaul, Oloyede explained that his administration deliberately prioritized human capital systematically upgrading worker welfare, reinforcing internal structures, and ensuring merit-based promotions were executed seamlessly without delay.
“We committed over N8 billion to strengthening employees’ retirement savings and their overall financial stability, provided ‘retirement handshakes’ of between N3 million and N10 million to retiring staff and introduced an extra annual salary bonus called ’13th month salary’ to boost staff morale,” he noted.
“Besides, we introduced examination duty incentives of 10%, which we recently increased to 20%, and provided free daily meals.
”Beyond institutional frameworks, the board directly intervened in life-saving medical emergencies for its workforce, which included underwriting a massive ₦12 million treatment bill for an employee 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,” Oloyede concluded.
Demonstrating that his vision was entirely holistic, Oloyede highlighted that these welfare interventions extended far beyond internal personnel to the candidates themselves, marked by a historic 30 percent slash in the cost of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) application.
“We also extended hands of fellowship to the institutions by dispensing, through NATAPM Award, about N750 million annually to different tertiary institutions in the country,” he said.
Yet, while his administration aggressively prioritized workforce prosperity, it maintained an iron-clad policy against institutional indiscipline, resulting in the successful prosecution of more than 10 staff members at various times for alleged professional misconduct.
To illustrate this zero-tolerance stance, the outgoing registrar recalled the infamous 2017 corruption scandal where a JAMB official in Benue State bizarrely claimed that a snake had swallowed ₦36 million generated from candidate scratch card sales.
“The sensationalised case of a snake gulping N36 million that the media feasted on was just one of the measures taken to entrench discipline,” Oloyede revealed
“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 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.”
Turning the spotlight onto the board’s massive technological renaissance, Oloyede detailed how his administration engineered a suite of digital innovations explicitly designed to lock down the integrity of JAMB’s operational ecosystem.
“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,” he explained.
“We also commenced the Bring-Your-Device initiative, which we believe will be perfected and operationalise”
However, he candidly admitted that even the most robust systems are not infallible. Reflecting on the severe 2025 technical glitches that triggered nationwide outcry and forced emergency exam rescheduling for thousands of candidates, Oloyede noted that the crisis served as a stark reminder that technology has its limits, proving that eternal vigilance remains the ultimate price of institutional liberty.
Yet, while his decade-long stewardship was fiercely anchored on absolute transparency, the outgoing registrar emphasized that none of these historic milestones could have been achieved in isolation.
He extended high-level commendations to state governors, the National Security Adviser, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Inspector-General of Police,
praising their vital institutional synergy and unwavering operational cooperation.
Expressing absolute confidence in the next chapter of the board, Oloyede emphasized that under Aina’s incoming leadership—backed by the sustained synergy of critical stakeholders and the federal government—JAMB is structurally primed to scale even greater heights.
“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,” he stated.
“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.”
