Operators of tutorial schools across Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to review the tenure of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), urging that it be limited to a single five-year term without the possibility of extension. The operators argued that such a measure would strengthen accountability and ensure fairness in the management of the examination body.
Under the current JAMB Act, the President is empowered to appoint the Registrar for a renewable five-year tenure. However, the Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) believes that tenure extensions promote complacency, reduce transparency, and create room for inefficiency. According to them, limiting the tenure would provide opportunities for fresh leadership and innovative reforms in the administration of tertiary admission processes.
The present JAMB Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, was appointed in August 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari and reappointed in 2021 for another five-year term, which is expected to end in 2026. His leadership has seen various reforms in the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), including improved digital systems and revenue generation. However, concerns remain among private education stakeholders about the concentration of authority in one individual for too long.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Secretary of ATSO in Oyo State, Ogundokun Olufunso, said that tenure elongation breeds overconfidence and creates loopholes in the system. He stressed that one non-renewable term would compel registrars to focus on service delivery rather than lobbying for reappointment.
Olufunso added that the Federal Government should consider the long-term implications of leadership extensions in sensitive institutions like JAMB, where millions of Nigerian youths depend on fair and credible examinations to secure university admissions. He emphasized that a single-term policy would not only check excesses but also inspire confidence among students, parents, and other stakeholders in the education sector.
Education analysts have also noted that a one-term limit could serve as a model for other regulatory bodies in the sector, ensuring that leadership changes come with renewed ideas and accountability. They urged policymakers to weigh the demands of the tutorial school operators as part of broader reforms to improve Nigeria’s education system.
