File photo. Former Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
”When giants walk the earth, the ground remembers their steps long after they are gone.”
Some public servants occupy offices, and there are those who redefine them. Emeritus Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede firmly belongs in the latter category. As he exits the stage after a decade as Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, he leaves behind not just an institution, but a transformed system that has reshaped public confidence in Nigeria’s tertiary admission and education system.
When Prof. Oloyede assumed office on August 9, 2016, JAMB faced persistent criticism over inefficiency, corruption and poor public trust. Through determined leadership, technological innovation, and a commitment to accountability, he steered the Board in a different direction. For instance, he streamlined the Board’s examination delivery as he jettisoned the cumbersome VSAT technology he met on the ground in favour of the VPN of two major telecommunication giants – MTN and Airtel. Consequently, test items could be transmitted through a more secure and affordable platform to the over 900 examination centres across the nation. Hence, he made the computer-based testing system adopted by JAMB in place of the paper-and-pencil test in 2013, a more robust, streamlined and user-friendly process.
