• ATSO Commends JAMB’s Transparency
Prof. Yusuf Ali has said that Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede decided not to take the path of most public servants in Nigeria who treat complaints with impunity.
He added that Oloyode is one of very few individuals for whom he can swear with the Holy Quran about their honesty, integrity, transparency, incorruptibility, human empathy and selflessness.
Weighing in on the controversy around the conduct of the 2025 UTME, Ali noted that it was unfortunate that technical glitches engendered by third parties negatively affected the conduct of the examination in some places in the South East and Lagos.
“This unfortunate incident has led to the decision to conduct a new examination for about 300,000 candidates out of the over 1.5 Million candidates that wrote the examination.
“I dare say that the path he had chosen on this unfortunate matter of admitting that there were mistakes, owing up and showing genuine empathy to the victims of this unfortunate event is a rare occurrence in our part of the world.”
He stated that Oloyede has shown that those who operate in the national space are also fallible like all humans and that perfection belongs only to Almighty Allah.
“He has shown candor, honesty, transparency, humanness, and leadership by accepting full responsibility for acts of others because he happens to be the head of the organisation.
“We that know Oloyede closely can attest to the sleepless nights he usually has, at least three months before any of these examinations, moving physically, sometimes at very unreasonable hours of the day to visit the various offices of JAMB all over Nigeria in preparation for these examinations.
“No serious leader will abandon his people at the time of a crisis, which is what his resignation at this point will translate to.”
This unfortunate incident happened under his watch and it makes a lot of sense that he should not abandon ship but be manly enough to see to the end of the problem. Good leadership is not about taking flight when negative issues arise.
“I therefore attest to the patriotic and nationalistic credentials of Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede. We should also remember this is not his first public duty assignment. He excelled in his former assignments to the admiration of all. In-sha
Allah, his tenure at JAMB will not be different.”
Similarly, the Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) has lauded the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its transparency in addressing the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) marking glitch.
ATSO President, Oludotun Sodunke, expressed concern over the examination timeline, rescheduling approach, technical deficiencies, and exclusion of critical stakeholders.
“While we commend JAMB’s current leadership for prioritising transparency, we must address the structural flaws that undermine the UTME process,” Sodunke stated.
The association recommended revising the examination calendar to July/August, conducting a comprehensive system audit, and fostering stakeholder collaboration to ensure sustainable reforms.
ATSO also emphasised the need for candidate-centric policies, citing security concerns and candidate welfare.
“We stand ready to work with Oloyede’s administration to institutionalize this new era of transparency and excellence in educational assessment,” Sodunke added.
