JAMB’s Crisis Management: How Prof Oloyede Makes Us Proud by Baba El-Yakubu
In a country where government institutions are often plagued with bureaucratic inertia, opacity, and denial in the face of operational failures, the swift and transparent response of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to the technical mishap of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) stands as a refreshing and commendable exception. At the center of this exceptional response is Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, whose leadership in a time of crisis demonstrated a level of responsibility, accountability, and professionalism that is not only rare in Nigeria’s public service, but worthy of national recognition and emulation. The Registrar’s integrity and act of accountability makes me proud to a Nigeria.
When news broke that the results of nearly 380,000 candidates had been distorted due to outdated server logic in 157 centers—an issue rooted in human error rather than technological breakdown or sabotage—there was justifiable outrage across the country. In similar circumstances, it would not be unusual for a Nigerian government agency to deflect blame, deny responsibility, or delay action. Yet, JAMB did the exact opposite. Within days, a high-level technical review was convened, chaired by Professor Oloyede himself, to investigate the source of the failure. The Registrar insisted that “The incident was neither a system failure nor administrative manipulation, but an outright human error.” This level of directness and clarity is extraordinary. In an environment where public officials often prioritize saving face over admitting fault, his words carried weight. They demonstrated that JAMB, under his stewardship, would rather confront hard truths than offer hollow excuses.
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He displayed the power of prompt action. More impressive than the confession was the decisive remedial action taken: all affected candidates would retake their exams at no cost, and a timetable coordination was agreed upon with WAEC to avoid conflict with ongoing SSCE exams. The speed and comprehensiveness of this response show a clear understanding of the stakes—not just for institutional credibility, but for the futures of nearly 400,000 young Nigerians. As the American Leadership scholar and organizational consultant, beautifully put it, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Professor Oloyede did just that. He translated the vision of a functional, responsive, and student-centric examination body into reality, even amidst an embarrassing crisis.
It is important to underline how unusual this response is in the Nigerian context. The nation’s public sector is often marred by a culture of denial, cover-ups, and the absence of consequences. Public apologies are rare. Remedial actions are often left unimplemented. But here, we saw something different. In offering a public apology, the JAMB Registrar demonstrated a level of moral leadership that redefines the expectations of public office in Nigeria. As former U.S. President Harry Truman once said, “the buck stops here”. Professor Oloyede took responsibility not just in words, but in action—a rare combination in governance.
This event is not an isolated show of competence. Since his appointment, Professor Oloyede has transformed JAMB from a scandal-prone institution into one of the most digitized and transparent examination bodies in Africa. Under his leadership, JAMB has consistently returned surpluses to the national treasury, reduced corruption within its ranks, and modernized its examination processes. That a crisis occurred does not negate these achievements. Rather, his handling of the crisis affirms the strength of the systems he has built – systems that could detect, review, communicate, and correct large-scale errors in record time.
This episode offers a blueprint for public accountability in Nigeria. It shows that: admitting error does not diminish leadership – it strengthens it, transparency breeds trust, even in crisis, and quick action and empathy for citizens’ concerns should be the standard, not the exception. If replicated across other sectors—education, power, health, and beyond—Nigeria could see a renaissance in public confidence and institutional credibility. With this, I can easily step forward and present myself as someone from Nigeria – a country whose public official has demonstrated a blueprint for public accountability.
In the wake of the 2025 UTME technical errors, Professor Ishaq Oloyede has emerged not just as a crisis manager, but as a national example of principled leadership. His honesty, quick action, and concern for young Nigerians’ futures deserve not only applause but documentation for posterity. In a time when Nigerians desperately seek reasons to believe in their institutions, Professor Oloyede has given them one. We say to him: thank you for reminding us that integrity in public office is still possible. Thank you for showing that there is little candle that shines in the sea of darkness.
Baba El-Yakubu is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University
Email: [email protected]
