On resuming office as the Registrar, Joint Admission Matriculation Board, Professor Is-haq Olarewaju Oloyede sat the ball rolling with a five-point agenda, which includes an enhanced staff welfare, discipline, improved technology, transparency and advanced networking. The Ogun State born Professor of Islamic Studies has run with these five-points agenda ever since his appointment in August 2016. He succeeded former Oke-Ogun Professor, Dibu Ojerinde.Is-haq Olarewaju Oloyede is a polymath Professor of Islamics, an academic, exemplary public servant and cerebral intellectual.
Born on October 10, 1954, Oloyede hails from Abeokuta South local government area of Ogun State. He had his Secondary Education from 1969-1973 at the Progressive Institute, Agege Lagos and Arabic Training Centre Agege, Lagos, (Markaz) from 1973-1976 and later to the University of Ibadan between 1976 and 1977 where he obtained a certificate in Arabic and Islamic Studies.
His tertiary education began in the University of Ilorin in 1978 where he studied Arabic and was awarded a B.A. Arabic (First Class Hons) in 1981. In July 1982 he was appointed an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Religions of the University. In 1991, he had his Doctorate degree in Islamic Studies also from the University of Ilorin.
Prof. Oloyede earned several scholarships and prizes during his student days, notable among which were the Arab League prize for the best final year Certificate student in Arabic and Islamic Studies in 1977 at the University of Ibadan; Federal Government undergraduate merit award from 1979 to 1981; Department of Religions Award, University of Ilorin, 1981 and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Award, Unilorin also in 1981. Oloyode, served as the President of Association of African Universities (AAU), said under his leadership JAMB would ensure that every child in Nigeria is computer literate.The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board is responsible for conducting UTME used to gain admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.Prior to his present appointment, he was a member of the University Governing Council; Students’ Disciplinary Committee; Revenue Yielding Committee; Honorary Degree and Monument Committee; Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Member, Capital Project Implementation Task Force among others. Until his present appointment, he was Director, Academic Planning of the University. In 2005, Prof. Oloyede was appointed co – secretary of the National Political Reform Conference by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Also in 2006, he was appointed a Consultant by the National Universities Commission on Educational Reforms in Nigeria. He was at a time Chairman of University of Ilorin Holdings Ltd where he served as Director, Unilorin Consultancy Services, among other business ventures of the University.
He was elected the Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin on the 15th October 2007 for a single term of five years. Prof Is-haq Oloyede was the Executive Secretary of National Inter -Religious Council (NIREC) and also the President of Association of African Universities (AAU). He is an International Advisory Board member of International Network for Higher Education in Africa (INHEA). Oloyede has enjoyed the same cooperation enjoyed by his predecessor from directors, zonal and state coordinators of JAMB and the reason is not far-fetched, the former vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin has ensured that staff welfare, prompt payment of salaries, allowances and promotions are given priority in his tenure as the Registrar of the Board.He replicated his initiative at University of Ilorin, by ensuring all JAMB applicants are computer literate. Computer-Based Test (CBT) is mandatory for the conduct of examinations. Undoubtedly that it is the right thing to do. Though it is gratifying that JAMB had transited to the use of technology for the conduct of its examinations, before Oloyede came on board, however, he was a major force in the uplifting of such standard.Part of Oloyede’s strength is his ability to key into the ‘change’ mantra of the current government by continuing to build on the legacy left behind by his predecessors and change whatever deserves to be changed because the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. We live in the Age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and technology exists only to make life easier.
In this regard, he deepened what can be called the ‘trendy tradition’. In 2019, when the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was preparing to conduct the 2019 UTME, Prof Ishaq Oloyede shocked the world when he threatened to publish names of people who have impersonated in the exam in the last 10 years.Today, JAMB, under Professor Oloyede, is one of the highest revenue agencies of the Federal Government.A strict and no nonesene Professor Oloyede has also said it will work with security agencies to prosecute any institution or candidate found breaching its admissions code. These are his efforts in ridding the Board of any tinted image.
It said that henceforth, stringent measures, including prosecution, would be taken against erring candidates or institutions once a prima facie case has been established against them.The decision, the board explained, is part of its resolution after the management meeting on the imperative of ridding the admissions process of unwholesome practices.Honestly, this has reduced the number of malpractices, across the nation. In 2020, The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) made an interim remittance of N3.5 billion to the federal government’s purse after the conduct of its 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).The board said it had earlier paid N3.5 billion to candidates by reducing N1,500 from the cost of ePINs sold to each candidate as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari. It said this brings its total remittances this year to over N7 billion.Transparency is a major mantra of the Board, as it said it promised to remit more as soon as its operations were concluded and proper audit of its books was completed.
JAMB has been remitting consistently to the federal purse since the appointment of Ishaq Oloyede as registrar in August 2016.Before his appointment, the agency never returned up to one percent of N7 billion in any year.The total amount JAMB remitted to the federal government coffers between 2010 and 2016 was N 50,752,544.In 2017, the agency said it remitted more than N5 billion to the government. In 2018, the board remitted N7.8 billion to the federal government.In 2019, JAMB remitted N5 billion to the federal government’s purse after the conduct of its 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).Prof. Oloyede, who had attended several training programmes across the nation, is also a member of many learned and professional societies. He is a fellow of the Islamic Academy of Cambridge, United Kingdom; Fellow, Academy of Entrepreneurship; Member, Nigerian Association of Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS); Member, Editorial Board, Centre for Islamic Legal Studies, ABU, Zaria, among, several others. Between 1995 and 1998, he was National President of the Unilorin Alumni Association, and was a two-time 1st and 2nd National Vice-President of the Association, in previous years. Prof. Oloyede was elevated to professorial rank in 1995.
