Professor Segun Aina has officially assumed office as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), succeeding Professor Ishaq Oloyede, whose 10-year tenure has now come to an end.
Aina took over the leadership of the examination body during the handover ceremony held at JAMB headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, on Friday.
NPO Reports recalls that President Bola Tinubu had on May 21 appointed Aina as the substantive registrar of JAMB to succeed Oloyede. Appointed at the age of 39, Aina is now the youngest person to serve as the board’s registrar.
“At 39, he became one of Nigeria’s youngest Computer Engineering professors and will now make history as JAMB’s youngest registrar,” Onanuga had announced.
In his inaugural address, Aina pledged to uphold the integrity of the board and strengthen efforts to curb examination malpractice through the deployment of modern technology.
“If at the end of my stewardship, JAMB becomes less dependent on individuals and more dependent on strong systems, less vulnerable to personalities, and more resilient because of its culture, then I shall consider my service worthwhile,” he said.
Making the protection of JAMB’s integrity his foremost commitment, Aina warned individuals involved in examination malpractice to abandon the practice, stressing that the board would intensify efforts to detect and prosecute offenders.
“To those who organise examination malpractice… To those who compromise CBT centres… Hear me clearly.
“Your business is with the wrong institution. JAMB will continue to deploy every lawful, technological, administrative, and investigative measure available to detect, deter, and prosecute examination malpractice,” he said.
Aina also said his administration would invest more in modern technology to strengthen the credibility of JAMB examinations and sustain collaboration with security agencies to combat examination fraud.
The new registrar stressed the need to improve customer service by reducing the stress and anxiety experienced by candidates and their parents.
“Every interaction with JAMB should leave a customer feeling more informed, more respected, and less anxious than when they arrived,” he said.
He urged members of staff to embrace innovation by contributing fresh ideas and challenging outdated processes, while calling on vice chancellors, provosts, regulatory agencies, parents and other stakeholders to partner with the board in improving Nigeria’s admissions system.
“Before we answer an email, before we approve a document… let us each ask ourselves, will what I do today make it easier or harder for an honest Nigerian child to realise their dreams? If the answer is harder, then we must not do it,” he said.