Oloyede returns to academia after JAMB tenure, says public service affected his spiritual life

The immediate past Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, says he will return to teaching and religious activities after completing his 10-year tenure, noting that years of public service had taken a toll on his spiritual life.

Speaking during the handover ceremony to the new JAMB Registrar, Prof. Aina, Oloyede said he needed time to seek spiritual renewal after a decade in public office.

He explained that while serving the country had been rewarding, the demands of leadership often required difficult decisions that weighed heavily on him.

“My next step is to return to my classroom and focus on my religious activities. That is what lies ahead for me,” he said.

According to him, “You cannot serve for these past 10 years without losing one spiritual quality or another. I need time to go back and seek God’s forgiveness because, in one way or another, you may have acted against some of your personal principles.”

Oloyede added that public officials must accept responsibility for the decisions they make while in office, saying he now looks forward to a quieter life dedicated to teaching and faith.

The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin credited the achievements recorded during his tenure to the dedication and teamwork of JAMB staff.

He expressed confidence that his successor would sustain and improve on the reforms introduced over the past decade.

“The achievements recorded during my time in office were made possible by the collective commitment and hard work of the Board’s workforce. I believe Prof. Aina will take JAMB to greater heights,” he said.

Oloyede also revisited the controversy surrounding the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme, whose result was found to have been manipulated.

He defended JAMB’s decision to impose a three-year ban on the candidate, insisting that the board acted to protect the integrity of its examination process.

Describing Mmesoma as “our daughter,” Oloyede said the board’s action was not driven by malice but by the responsibility to uphold standards.

“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 we regret that she committed the act,” he said.

He noted that many Nigerians initially believed the false narrative surrounding the incident but accepted the facts after investigations established the truth.

“Every parent wants to believe his or her child. I regret that some people supported that narrative, but I am happy that, in the end, we were vindicated,” he added.

Oloyede maintained that the sanction served as a deterrent against examination malpractice rather than an act of punishment.

“It was not out of wickedness. It was necessary to serve as a deterrent. Once we carry out our responsibilities without hatred, there should be no regret or hard feelings,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, the new JAMB Registrar, Prof. Aina, pledged to preserve the board’s reputation for integrity, transparency and credibility.

He warned that JAMB would continue to deploy technology to combat examination malpractice and fraud.

“The integrity of JAMB is not negotiable. Those planning to outsmart the system should abandon such thoughts because our technology-driven processes will continue to frustrate every form of malpractice,” Aina said.

He added that his immediate priority would be to study the board’s operations before introducing any reforms.

Appointed JAMB Registrar in 2016, Oloyede oversaw major reforms, including improvements to the computer-based testing system, enhanced transparency in admissions, increased remittances to the Federal Government and the introduction of technological measures to curb impersonation, result falsification and other examination offences.

One of the defining moments of his tenure was the 2023 Mmesoma Ejikeme case, in which JAMB maintained that the candidate manipulated her UTME result. Subsequent investigations later supported the board’s position, reinforcing its efforts to safeguard the credibility of Nigeria’s tertiary admissions process.