Oloyede leaves JAMB reformed but financially strained as Aina takes helm
Professor Ishaq Oloyede's decade as JAMB Registrar transformed Nigeria's notorious admissions body from a corruption-ridden scandal hub into a transparent regulator that remitted ₦55 billion to the federal treasury—up from just ₦60 million before his tenure. He introduced biometric controls, CBT centres, e-PINS and the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), though challenges like the ₦36 million scratch card fraud scandal involving alleged 'snakes swallowing money' lingered.
Now Professor Olusegun Aina assumes leadership amid mounting pressures: exam management costs could quadruple from the current ₦4 billion due to upcoming civil servant allowance reviews in October, while new threats like AI-assisted impersonation and sophisticated fraud schemes emerge. JAMB's financial sustainability is critical—it directly affects university access for millions of Nigerian students annually.
As Aina builds on Oloyede's foundation, the key test is maintaining JAMB's hard-won transparency and accessibility without raising fees that could exclude disadvantaged students. Will innovative cost management preserve the gains, or will financial strain force compromises on fairness and access?