JAMB

JUST IN: President Tinubu Appoints Prof. Segun Aina as New JAMB Registrar, Succeeding Oloyede

NLTC Team · 21 May 2026 · 7 min read

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Segun Aina as the new Registrar of JAMB, succeeding Professor Is-haq Oloyede whose historic ten-year tenure ends on July 31, 2026. Here is everything you need to know about Nigeria's new JAMB boss.

Breaking — Thursday, May 21, 2026

In a major development for Nigerian education, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Segun Aina as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The appointment was announced today, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in an official statement issued by the President's Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Professor Aina will succeed Professor Is-haq Oloyede, whose two-term tenure as JAMB Registrar expires on July 31, 2026 — bringing to a close one of the most consequential tenures in the history of Nigerian tertiary education administration.

Who Is Professor Segun Aina?

Professor Segun Aina is a Professor of Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife — one of Nigeria's most prestigious federal universities. He will be 40 years old in July 2026, making him the youngest person ever to be appointed as JAMB Registrar in the history of the examination body. At 39, he had already made history as one of Nigeria's youngest ever professors of Computer Engineering.

According to the presidential statement, Professor Aina is described as a distinguished academic and systems expert with extensive experience in national examination systems, digital infrastructure, and public-sector institutional reform — credentials that position him as a particularly fitting choice to lead JAMB into its next chapter.

His Academic Qualifications

Professor Aina's academic background is entirely in engineering and technology, with all his higher degrees earned in the United Kingdom:

• Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) in Computer Systems Engineering — University of Kent, United Kingdom
• Master of Science (MSc) in Internet Computing and Network Security — Loughborough University, United Kingdom
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Digital Signal Processing — Loughborough University, United Kingdom
• Senior Management Programme — Lagos Business School, Nigeria

His academic specialisations — Computer Systems Engineering, Network Security, and Digital Signal Processing — are directly relevant to the modernisation of Nigeria's examination infrastructure, including CBT systems, examination security, and digital data management.

His Professional Background and Experience

What makes Professor Aina's appointment particularly significant is not just his academic credentials but his direct, hands-on experience with JAMB's own systems. According to the presidential statement, Aina began his career with JAMB itself during his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year — gaining foundational experience in national admissions and data-driven institutional processes from the ground up. This means the incoming JAMB Registrar has a lived, practical understanding of how the examination body operates that goes back to the very beginning of his professional life.

Beyond his NYSC experience at JAMB, Professor Aina has spent over 15 years after graduation working at the intersection of technology, policy, and institutional transformation. His professional history includes:

• Advising federal and state governments on system design, digital transition, and operational reform
• Serving as a consultant to major examination bodies including NECO and NABTEB, providing expertise on ICT systems, examination integrity, and digital process optimisation
• Consulting for various State Ministries of Education on examination systems and digital transformation
• Conducting ongoing research and contributions to examination reform and systems optimisation

He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

What President Tinubu Said

In his statement announcing the appointment, President Tinubu expressed full confidence in the incoming registrar and set a clear expectation for his tenure:

"President Tinubu expects Professor Aina to bring to bear his vast experience, knowledge, and practical insight into the operations of the Board, to take the critical educational organisation beyond the laudable heights achieved by his predecessor."

The statement is significant — the President did not ask Aina merely to maintain what Oloyede built, but explicitly to surpass it. Given the enormity of what Oloyede achieved during his decade at the helm, that is a considerable mandate.

The Man He Replaces: Professor Is-haq Oloyede's Legacy

To fully appreciate the significance of this appointment, it is important to understand the scale of what Professor Aina is inheriting. Professor Is-haq Oloyede assumed office as JAMB Registrar on August 9, 2016, after previously serving as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin between 2007 and 2012, and later chairing both the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors.

In his nearly ten years at JAMB, Oloyede oversaw some of the most sweeping reforms in the history of Nigerian examination administration. Under his watch:

• JAMB's annual revenue remittances to the federal government rose dramatically — from a historical average of a few hundred million naira to billions, with the board famously remitting over ₦5 billion to the government in a single year, a development that shocked the education sector and became a national talking point about institutional integrity.
• The transition to a fully Computer-Based Test (CBT) format was completed and consolidated, with JAMB's CBT infrastructure becoming one of the most extensive examination technology networks in Africa.
• JAMB CAPS (Central Admission Processing System) was introduced, bringing transparency and accountability to Nigeria's tertiary admission process for the first time and eliminating many of the back-channel admission deals that had plagued the system for decades.
• The NIN-JAMB data verification integration was implemented, connecting examination registration to Nigeria's national identity infrastructure.
• Strict enforcement of age restrictions, result withholding for underage candidates, and zero-tolerance for malpractice became hallmarks of the board under his administration.

Oloyede's tenure was not without controversy — his outspoken style and firm policies made him both deeply respected and occasionally polarising. But the consensus among education stakeholders is that he transformed JAMB from an institution associated with leakages and corruption into one of Nigeria's most credible public agencies.

What This Means for Students and the 2026/2027 Admission Cycle

Professor Aina will formally assume office on August 1, 2026, after Oloyede's tenure expires on July 31. For students currently in the middle of the 2026/2027 admission process, this means the following:

• All current 2026 UTME processes remain unchanged. The ongoing 2026/2027 admission cycle — including result slip printing, change of institution, POST-UTME screening, and CAPS admission processing — will continue under Oloyede's leadership until July 31. No disruption to current processes is expected.
• Professor Aina will oversee the tail end of the 2026/2027 admissions. Since most university admissions are expected to be completed by October 31, 2026, Aina will be in the seat for the final and most critical phase of the current admission cycle from August onwards.
• His technology background signals more digital innovation ahead. With a PhD in Digital Signal Processing and deep expertise in examination systems, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure, Professor Aina is expected to deepen and accelerate the digitisation of JAMB's processes. This could mean further improvements to the CBT infrastructure, examination security systems, and the CAPS portal.
• Continuity is expected. President Tinubu's statement specifically asked Aina to build on Oloyede's achievements rather than reverse them. Candidates and stakeholders should not expect any sudden reversal of existing JAMB policies.

A Historic Appointment

Beyond the policy implications, this appointment carries historical significance. At approximately 40 years old on assumption of office, Professor Segun Aina will be the youngest Registrar in JAMB's history. His appointment also represents a generational shift in the leadership of one of Nigeria's most important educational institutions — from a veteran administrator in his late sixties to a technology expert at the beginning of his forties. It signals the federal government's recognition that Nigeria's examination system must be led by someone deeply fluent in the digital tools and systems that will define its future.

Conclusion

The appointment of Professor Segun Aina as the new JAMB Registrar is one of the most significant education news stories of 2026, and it dropped today. For students, parents, and education stakeholders across Nigeria, the message is clear: JAMB's reform journey is not over — it is entering a new phase, led by a younger, technology-focused academic who carries both the credentials and the lived experience to take the board forward. At NLTC, we will continue to monitor all JAMB developments and bring you the latest updates as they happen. Watch this space.