The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, has revealed that the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions will be the last to be chaired by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede.
Newsonspot reports that speaking during the meeting held in Abuja on Monday, Ahmad praised Oloyede for his remarkable contributions to the transformation of JAMB during his 10-year tenure.
According to her, Oloyede’s leadership brought major reforms that reshaped the institution and improved its operations significantly.
“This is the last policy meeting you will be holding. He has been here for ten years. He has done many good things. Ten years is a long time but he is not tired,” she stated. “We will just give you a resting period to relax a bit and then we will just call you back.”
Prof. Oloyede assumed office as JAMB Registrar on August 9, 2016, and quickly introduced sweeping reforms that transformed the board’s financial and operational structure. Within three years, JAMB’s remittances to the Federal Government increased dramatically from less than ₦50 million recorded between 1978 and 2016 to ₦7.8 billion in 2017 alone.
Between 2016 and 2026, the examination body reportedly remitted over ₦20.7 billion in operating surplus while also funding several developmental projects through internally generated revenue. These improvements also enabled the Federal Government to reduce tertiary institution application fees by 30 percent.
Before his appointment at JAMB, Oloyede served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin from 2007 to 2012. He also led the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors between 2011 and 2012.
A renowned Professor of Islamic Studies since 1995, Oloyede has authored nearly 100 academic papers and attended several international conferences.
His outstanding public service has earned him multiple national honours, including the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2014, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2022, the National Productivity Order of Merit Award in 2019, and the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service in the Education category in 2022.
Prof. Oloyede, who is 71 years old, is married with children and grandchildren.
