Oloyede Reveals Most Painful Experience at JAMB Was Parents Organising Exam Malpractice

The former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, while responding to questions during his interview session on ARISE TV from the programme's host, Reuben Abati, was asked about his worst experience while leading the examination regulatory body for 10 years. He responded that his most painful experience was discovering the extent to which parents organised examination malpractice for their children and wards, stressing that candidates were not the main problem facing the examination body, but parents who constantly sought ways to help their children cheat the system.

Oloyede, who officially handed over the leadership of JAMB to Professor Segun Aina on Friday, 31st July 2026 after completing a decade in office, described parental involvement in examination malpractice as the lowest point of his decade-long administration.

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According to him, many parents actively facilitated examination malpractice, unknowingly introducing their children to criminal behaviour at an early stage.

"The most painful period of my experience in JAMB has to do with the level of involvement of parents in the organisation of examination malpractice."

The former JAMB Registrar maintained that candidates were often unfairly blamed for examination malpractice, insisting that many of them merely acted under the influence of their parents.

"They are introducing their wards and children to the world of crime. I think most of the candidates are not problematic. They are not the problem. The problem is the parents."

Oloyede said he was often deeply emotional whenever he encountered cases involving parents attempting to compromise the integrity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

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"Every time I was confronted with the reality of what parents are doing, most of the time, I became very emotional about it."

He questioned why parents would deliberately jeopardise the future of their children by encouraging dishonest practices.

"Most of the time, I feel that how on earth will people hate themselves and their futures to this level. Even if you have deficiency, you won't want to pass the deficiency to the next generation."

Reflecting on his overall tenure, Oloyede said he regarded his years at JAMB as successful, noting that the issue of parental involvement in examination malpractice remained the only major disappointment.

"For me, it was a fine period. The only lowest period was when I confronted parents over involvement in the planning and introduction of their children and wards into crime (examination malpractice)."

Oloyede also expressed confidence in his successor, Professor Segun Aina, saying the new JAMB Registrar's background in computer engineering would enable him to leverage technology even further to strengthen the conduct and integrity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

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