Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The new Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede has been described as the man who is capable of revolutionising the examination body.
The vote of confidence was given by the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Dr. Peter Okebukola, in a statement issued and signed by him.
According to the statement, “With about nine years as head of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde has done exceptionally well. The transformation which he took the Board through is huge. He modernised the operations of the Board at such a dizzying pace that I used to fondly call him the “magician” in JAMB. I note that he worked with exceptional directors and I should single out Dr. Yusuf Lawal who oversees Test Administration.
“With the appointment of Prof. Is-haq Oloyede as the new Registrar, JAMB is in for a revolutionary time in terms of delivering more effectively on its mandate. Prof. Oloyede parades excellent credentials to lead a whole sector like education in Nigeria hence asking him to head a parastatal in education is like asking a 5-star, battle-tested general to quell a fight between two area boys in Ajegunle!
“Oloyede ran University of Ilorin as a model for the Nigerian university system and served dutifully as Chairman of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and at the continental level, as President of the Association of African Universities.”
He is a no-nonsense, clear-headed scholar who is globally consulted on higher education matters including issues dealing with admitting quality students which fit in with the JAMB mandate. I am convinced that he will smoothen the rough edges of the unfortunate furore around the 2016 admission exercise.
“On the matter of the relevance of JAMB, I am unshaken in my belief that at this time in the nation’s higher education development, JAMB is still a relevant player. The important thing is for JAMB not to overstep its bounds by infringing on those areas where the universities should exercise their autonomy.
“Post-UTME, as originally conceived in 2004, not in its present adulterated form, is still a must if we are to get better quality students for our higher education system. Rather than shut the door on Post-UTME, we should scape off whatever the universities are not doing right and not throw the baby out with the bath water”, Okebukola added.
