JAMB: Professor Oloyede Opens Up on Most Painful Experience
- Former JAMB registrar Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede spoke about his most painful experience during a decade leading the examination body
- Oloyede identified a specific group of people, not the candidates themselves, as the root cause of examination malpractice in Nigeria
- The former registrar also shared his thoughts on what his successor, Segun Aina, could achieve at JAMB
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering education in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Ishaq Oloyede, the immediate past registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has said that witnessing parents plan and facilitate examination malpractice for their children was the most distressing part of his ten years leading the board.
Oloyede made the remarks on Sunday, August 2, during a programme on Arise Television, monitored by Legit.ng, days after handing over to Segun Aina, the newly appointed JAMB registrar.
Source: Facebook
Oloyede blames parents for UTME malpractice
Oloyede was clear in his assessment of where the blame lies for examination misconduct. He argued that most candidates are not the primary problem, but rather the adults who orchestrate malpractice on their behalf.
"The most painful period of my experience in JAMB has to do with the level of involvement of parents in the organisation of examination malpractice," he said.
"They are introducing their wards and children to the world of crime. I think most of the candidates are not problematic. They are not the problem. The problem is the parents."
He added that the reality of parents' conduct regularly moved him to emotion during his tenure: "Every time I was confronted with the reality of what parents are doing, most of the time, I became very emotional about it."
Oloyede said he could not understand why any parent would choose to compromise their child's future in such a manner.
He said:
"How on earth will people hate themselves and their futures to this level. Even if you have deficiency, you won't want to pass the deficiency to the next generation."
Despite that experience, the former registrar described his overall time at JAMB in positive terms:
"For me, it was a fine period. The only lowest period was when I confronted parents over involvement in the planning and introduction of their children and wards into crime."
JAMB: Oloyede backs successor Aina
Oloyede was first appointed JAMB registrar on August 9, 2016, by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, and was reappointed for a second term in August 2021. In May 2026, President Bola Tinubu appointed Aina, a professor of computer engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, as JAMB's sixth registrar.
Oloyede expressed confidence that Aina's technical background positions him to build on the work done at the board. He noted that Aina's expertise in computer engineering would allow him to make greater use of technology in the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and that he expects his successor to surpass him in leveraging innovation to improve the process.
Watch the video of Oloyede speaking on Aina below via X:
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JAMB clarifies 2026 UTME mop-up
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that JAMB successfully conducted the 2026 UTME mop-up examination for candidates who faced some challenges.
Participants reportedly applauded JAMB's 'commitment to transparency and inclusiveness' during the UTME process.
Purported positive feedback from candidates reinforces confidence in JAMB's integrity and examination credibility, according to the agency's statement.
Source: Legit.ng
