Oloyede Set to Exit as JAMB Registrar After Transformative 10-Year Tenure

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, is expected to step down from office after completing a decade of service that significantly reshaped Nigeria’s tertiary admissions system.

The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, during the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions held in Abuja.

According to the minister, the 2026 policy meeting would likely be the final one to be chaired by Oloyede as Registrar of the examination body. She commended his leadership, describing his tenure as one that brought major reforms and transparency to the operations of the board.

Speaking at the event, Ahmad praised Oloyede’s contributions to the education sector, noting that his administration introduced remarkable improvements that transformed JAMB financially and administratively.

She stated that although his 10-year tenure had come to an end, his expertise and experience would still be valuable to the country in the future.

Oloyede officially assumed office as JAMB Registrar on August 9, 2016, and quickly embarked on reforms aimed at improving accountability, efficiency, and revenue generation within the agency.

Under his leadership, JAMB witnessed a major financial turnaround. Before his appointment, the board reportedly remitted less than ₦50 million to the Federal Government between 1978 and 2016. However, within just one year of his administration, JAMB generated and remitted about ₦7.8 billion in operating surplus in 2017 alone.

Between 2016 and 2026, the board reportedly remitted more than ₦20 billion to the Federal Government while also funding several infrastructural and staff development projects through internally generated revenue.

The improved financial performance of the agency also contributed to a reduction in the cost of tertiary institution application forms, easing the burden on millions of Nigerian students seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

Before his appointment at JAMB, Oloyede served as the Vice-Chancellor of University of Ilorin from 2007 to 2012, where he earned recognition for institutional reforms and academic excellence.

He also served as Chairman of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities as well as the Committee of Vice-Chancellors between 2011 and 2012.

A distinguished professor of Islamic Studies, Oloyede became a professor in 1995 and has authored nearly 100 scholarly publications while participating in numerous international academic conferences.

Over the years, he has received several prestigious national honours and awards in recognition of his contributions to education and public service. These include the Officer of the Federal Republic award in 2014, the Commander of the Order of the Niger award in 2022, the National Productivity Order of Merit Award in 2019, and the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service for Education in 2022.

His expected exit from JAMB is already generating reactions across Nigeria’s education sector, with many stakeholders describing his administration as one of the most impactful in the history of the examination body.

Education analysts believe his reforms helped strengthen public confidence in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination process while improving operational transparency and revenue accountability within the agency.

As Oloyede prepares to leave office, attention is expected to shift toward who will emerge as the next Registrar of JAMB and whether the incoming leadership will sustain the reforms and financial discipline introduced during his tenure.