Prof. Is-haq Oloyede will step down as Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board after 10 years in office, with the 2026 Policy Meeting on Admissions marking his final outing.
Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad announced the transition Monday in Abuja, saying Oloyede’s tenure had “fundamentally changed the institution.”
“This is the last policy meeting you will be holding,” Ahmad said.
“He has been here for 10 years. He has done a lot of good things. Ten years is a long time but he is not tired. We will just give you a resting period to relax a bit and then we will just call you back.”
Oloyede assumed office on August 9, 2016. Under his leadership, JAMB overhauled its operations and finances.
Remittances to the Federal Government rose from less than ₦50 million between 1978 and 2016 to ₦7.8 billion in 2017 alone. From 2016 to 2026, the board remitted ₦20.7 billion in operating surplus and funded infrastructure and training projects from internally generated revenue.
The improved finances allowed the government to cut tertiary institution application fees by 30 percent.
Before joining JAMB, Oloyede served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin from 2007 to 2012 and chaired both the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors from 2011 to 2012.
A professor of Islamic Studies since 1995, he has authored nearly 100 academic papers and received several national honors, including Officer of the Federal Republic in 2014, Commander of the Order of the Niger in 2022, and the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service in 2022.
Oloyede, 71, is married with four adult children and grandchildren.
