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The outgoing Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, has said his greatest achievement after 10 years in office is leaving the board in a better condition than he met it.
Oloyede spoke on Friday during his handover ceremony at the JAMB headquarters in Abuja.
He was first appointed registrar on August 9, 2016, by former President Muhammadu Buhari and was reappointed for a second term in August 2021.
In May, President Bola Tinubu appointed Segun Aina, a professor of Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, to succeed Oloyede as JAMB’s sixth registrar.
Reflecting on his tenure, Oloyede said he was proud of the transformation recorded by the board under his leadership.
He said his administration was built around five key areas: staff welfare, discipline, technology, transparency and networking.
According to him, the reforms were designed to improve the board’s operations, strengthen its workforce and enhance the integrity of its examinations.
“I did not leave JAMB worse than I met it is my greatest achievement,” he said.
“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,” he added.
Oloyede said JAMB committed more than N8 billion to employees’ retirement savings and financial stability, while retiring staff received between N3 million and N10 million as part of the board’s retirement support.
He added that the board introduced a 13th-month salary, increased examination-duty incentives from 10 to 20 percent and provided free daily meals for staff.
The outgoing registrar said JAMB also supported staff medical treatment, including providing N12 million for one employee’s treatment at the National Hospital.
He said exceptional employees were rewarded with cash and other recognitions, while deserving staff were promoted as and when due.
“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 said.
“Besides, we introduced examination duty incentives of 10%, which we recently increased to 20%, and provided free daily meals.
“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,” he said.
Oloyede added that the board extended its welfare initiatives to candidates by reducing the cost of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination application by 30 percent.
He said JAMB also supported tertiary institutions through the NATAPM Award, which provided about N750 million annually to institutions across the country.
“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.
On discipline, Oloyede said more than 10 staff members had been prosecuted at different times over alleged misconduct.
He recalled the 2017 controversy involving a JAMB staff member in Benue who claimed that a snake had swallowed N36 million generated from the sale of scratch cards, describing the incident as part of the measures taken to strengthen accountability within the board.
Oloyede said technology was another major area of reform during his tenure, citing the expansion of computer-based testing, improvements to JAMB’s digital infrastructure and the introduction of the Central Admissions Processing System.
“The sensationalised case of a snake gulping N36 million that the media feasted on was just one of the measures taken to entrench discipline,” he said.
“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,” he added.
He also listed biometric and identity verification, CCTV monitoring, digital payments and PINs, the Remote Authoring and Moderation System and institutional digital transformation among the innovations introduced.
He said the board also began the Bring-Your-Device initiative, which he hoped would be fully operationalised.
“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 said.
“We also commenced the Bring-Your-Device initiative, which we believe will be perfected and operationalised.”
Oloyede, however, acknowledged that the technical problems experienced during the 2025 UTME, which forced the rescheduling of examinations for thousands of candidates, demonstrated that technology had its limitations and required constant monitoring.
He also commended state governors and security and anti-corruption agencies, including the National Security Adviser, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency and the Inspector-General of Police, for their support during his tenure.
Oloyede expressed confidence that JAMB would achieve greater progress under Aina’s leadership, citing his younger age and expertise in information and communications technology as potential advantages.
He wished his successor success and said he remained available to provide advice whenever required.
“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 said.
“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.”
