By the time the strong-willed, former Education Minister in Olusegun Obasanjo presidency, Oby Ezekwesili, lent her voice to the controversial Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result forgery saga involving a minor from Ananmbra State, I concluded that Nigeria was in for a most interesting time. The ‘steely’ character had argued that the Joint Admissions and Administration Board (JAMB), which conducts UTME, rather than the minor involved, fell short of her expectations.
Apparently on account of her supposedly respectable profile, including being a pastor of the renowned Redeemed Christian Church of God, many Nigerians seemed to believe Ezekwesili. Meanwhile, not many of the former minister’s adherents realised that the far tougher element in JAMB Registrar, Prof. Oloyede would make Ezekwesili bend or make a full turnaround having failed to access the truth readily available to her from JAMB. Oloyede earned the credit of upping the ante at the board to clearly make it the most technologically trendy Federal Government board in the education sector. It was Ezekwesili’s second grand failure after the botched attempt to sell off all the Unity Schools while in office as education minister.
Although Oloyede did not reckon with what might appear as a grand conspiracy by Ezekwesili as someone who should know better, it was yet another reinforcing experience cultivated from his first year as the JAMB Registrar.
The former Vice-Chancellor of the ‘Better By Far’ University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) damned the landlocked location of his university to emerge as the most digitech friendly of all times in Nigeria. The visionary was precocious in spotting possible opportunities that should accompany the rather nascent deregulated telecommunication sector. Promptly, he sought to use it to buoy, at least, the testing capacity of the university. Consequently, UNILORIN, under Oloyede perfected the unprecedentedly massive deployment of computer based tests in the early years of undergraduates in that university.
The story of what had been perfected at UNILORIN not only became the talk of the town but one that also emerged as a worthy study for test and evaluation scholars and experts from far and near. JAMB, under Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, moved into UNILORIN for a comprehensive learning of the details. Thus evolved Computer Based Test (CBT) for JAMB even as it had to combine that with the paper based test for a few years.
Fate eventually did it. Fate did it for JAMB, literally the entire nation. The experiment that began from Better By Far University bourgeoned and later yielded heavily for the nation at large. In 2017, the CBT maestro was appointed as the registrar of JAMB.
No time to feel complacent at JAMB in spite of the fulfilling trajectory. For Oloyede, like many scholars of digitech would wish to postulate and demonstrate, internet as a strand of it should be technology of freedom with limitless capacity to disrupt age old traditions and practice. Indeed, enthroning new experiences serially is the vision of the new sheriff in town.
Even as IT experts at JAMB and others he keeps attracting to the self-conceived tasks with no less adventurous spirit may be trying to perfect some contraptions, relentless Oloyede would soon throw up another and even another such that even the ultra-talented ones among the IT folks have always wondered on how best to earn Oloyede’s full marks.
Right in Oloyede’s first year JAMB, he raised the bar. Mock exam would commence but would be optional. All eyes were therefore on JAMB as the news hit the town. Unknown to the leader with uncommon carrying capacity, saboteurs had been insistent on marring the novel layer of exam. It was time to test run the facility for the proposed CBT mock exam and it was discovered that it was far from possible. Naysayers had dug so deeply into the IT facility that the only option was to postpone the exam.
Oloyede that had extracted and re-extracted what seemed like sincere and infallible assurances suddenly became taciturn! However, like Prof. Attahiru Jega, the ultra-credible, firebrand, former leader of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, who later became the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commissio, Oloyede had to settle for a humble pie in the face of insurmountable situation. Jega had postponed a national election against all expectations of the electorate and the international community and heaven did not fall. Why not an Oloyede? Oloyede therefore announced the mock exam would be shifted without boring the public with unnecessary details.
But there was no sparing any energy again. He extended his overture to the best IT folks in town including some hired to service some World Bank projects. He wanted the best available. Eventually, both the mock exam and the main exam held successfully.
Yet, the JAMB chief examiner was no one to be caught napping in relation to the rule of law. He carried over the transparency campaign he had initiated at the University of Ilorin. Like UNILORIN, JAMB being a public institution, Oloyede believed, must be subjected to surrender value by promptly rendering reports of its activities, including financials, every blessed week.
Then came a big story which ended up being echoed by virtually all worthy news platforms in the country. JAMB returned N5 billion Naira being the excess of the earnings from the sales of forms and allied services. It was unprecedented. Indeed, it exceeded all of the returns ever turned in since the inception of the board. Transparency at JAMB had, under the inimitable Oloyede come to set a new standard for the country. Tongues wagged ceaselessly. Salutations by the young and old patriots went viral across social media platforms. Many began to wonder loudly on the need to query past JAMB leadership.
For Oloyede, it was not about personal pride but simply expressive of his life as a responsible academic with towering standing who is also a muslim, if you like a responsible family man and community leader. Oloyede till date is the Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. It should also interest us to note here that, together with Bishop Matthew Kukah, representing the Christian community, Oloyede, co-secretary of the National Conference set up by the President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014.
Participating in the conference for Oloyede was obviously neither mere jawjaw nor some cheap opportunity for self-enrichment. Everyone should be able to walk their talk. Rather than allow himself to get soaked in the eulogies resultant from the N5 billion returns, Oloyede forged ahead to strengthen JAMB as institution that should be able to weather unpredictable failings such as had undermined the maiden mock exam and some other processes of the Board.
Interestingly, Oloyede’s consistent insistence on either the best or nothing mantra has never taken away anything from his team-player compliance even as he makes efforts to fulfil diverse civilizational aspirations. Beginning with the very first examination he conducted in 2017, he democratized the entire process ensuring gender balancing as well with invigilators and other exam officials duly recruited from all relevant spheres.
Not given to playing any petty god in any context, he literally elevated your’s sincerely and others to the level of ‘Registrar-in-Council’. Membership of my team, (subject to annual rejig on merit) was to avail him standby back-up for the entire duration of exam annually. A team of tested scholars and highly experienced administrators, no fewer than six of that team had served or currently serving as Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, Deputy Registrars of Nigeria’s leading universities around the country. My team, till date (most delighted to have been signed on for the 2024 exam as I write) is always saddled with the responsibility of maintaining minute-by-minute contact with all centres nationwide and expected to update the registrar on the wellness or otherwise of the conduct of the examination. And we’re always delightfully equipped to achieve that.
The said Registrar-in-Council, like the boss of the board has no closing time especially on challenging days and day one and day two of exams must be deemed so annually even as we are often pleasantly surprised. No year again has presented any extremely tasking experience as that of of 2017 when we had to work all-night! Although all efforts are often mustered to ensure zero hitch, my team routinely lives the Boys Scout motto of “Be Prepared” to stall any eventuality that may result from the Shakespearian proclamation that “Since the hope of man hangs in the balance, let’s reason with the worst”.
For JAMB however, the sturdy Septuagenarian with the energy of a young groom, Prof. Is’haq Olanrewaju Oloyede has been leading his team from glory to greater glory. Best wishes always, sir.
