Oloyode assumes duty as JAMB Registrar •Says ‘I won’t spoil Ojerinde’s good work’

THE newly-appointed Registrar and Chief Executive of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, on Monday, assumed duty with a pledge to consolidate on the gains achieved by his predecessor, Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde.

“One thing I want to assure you is that I won’t spoil the good work you have done. We have been very close though many people did not know that when we disagreed some years back on policy, he was doing his work as the JAMB registrar and I was doing mine as the chairman of the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU),”  he said.

Oloyede spoke shortly after the former JAMB Registrar, Ojerinde, handed over the mantle of leadership of the Board to him at the headquarters of JAMB in Abuja.

While noting that there was however, room to make some changes, the new JAMB boss said he  would continue to implement the good policies started by Ojerinde.

He particularly commended his predecessor for introducing the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME),  saying “we live in the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and technology exists only to make life easier.

“In this regard, we shall deepen what I once called the “trendy tradition.” When we introduced Computer-Based Test (CBT) at the University of Ilorin for the conduct of our screening exercise in 2007, we had no doubt that it was the right thing to do.

“It is gratifying that JAMB had subsequently transited to the use of technology for the conduct of its examinations and I salute the resolve of Professor Dibu Ojerinde in that regard as well,” he said.

According to him, JAMB had a quality of superabundance manpower, which in addition to its qualities and experiences from over the years, would further develop a better and greater JAMB.

Oloyede, a former vice chancellor of University of Ilorin, however, warned that he would not condone lateness to work, laziness at work, disrespect for deadlines, insubordination, which according to him, were viruses that often crippled an organisation.

He added that part of his agenda was to key into the “change” mantra of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari by continuing to build on the legacy left behind by “my illustrious predecessors and change whatever deserves to be changed because the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.”

He said: “Given my full awareness of the transiency of life and its phenomena, it is my resolve to put my best in any task before me since I fortunately won’t be doing it forever. It is even more relevant on this occasion because this work may be short, truncated or long.

“Whether my period here is short, truncated or long, what is important is to do my bit and leave the stage better than we met it, just as my predecessors have done. Setting the stage is a collective responsibility and we all have to make this great Board even greater.

“The time is short and we need to hit the ground running, with the fervent hope that the same support you accorded my predecessors, which was instrumental to their success, will be accorded me too.

“I am inheriting a great JAMB, but there is still sufficient room for improvement so that the Board can even be greater if we all change accordingly,” the JAMB boss added.

While stressing that he would run “a no door policy,” Oloyode said his five areas of focus included an enhanced staff welfare, discipline, improved technology, transparency and advanced networking.

The immediate past Registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who was full of smiles throughout the ceremony  acknowledged the competency of the new Registrar in working to  further improve and develop JAMB.

“I am sure you will make JAMB better than you found it. I am not surprised you are coming,” he said.

Ojerinde, who received various eulogies from staff for his hard work and ability to transform JAMB during his over nine years in  office, urged the directors, zonal and state coordinators of JAMB to grant Oloyede the same cooperation  he enjoyed while serving as their boss.