The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has urged members of the Association of Registrars of Nigerian Universities (ARNU) to remain faithful to their role as custodians of institutional memory while adapting to the realities of the 21st-century workplace.
Prof. Oloyede made the call on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, when an ARNU delegation paid a courtesy visit to JAMB’s National Headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.
Welcoming the visitors, he said Registrars owe their universities a responsibility to mentor younger professionals who would one day take over administrative leadership. He stressed that, unlike Vice-Chancellors who operate within fixed tenures, Registrars have a continuing duty to groom Deputy and Assistant Registrars before retirement.
Earlier, ARNU Chairman, Dr. Bala I. Ahmed, said the association valued JAMB as a strategic partner and sought closer collaboration to strengthen Nigeria’s admissions system. He noted that the visit was prompted by concerns over the limited role of university Registrars in the current admissions process.
Dr. Ahmed expressed dissatisfaction with the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), explaining that Registrars are restricted to “view-only” access, while Vice-Chancellors and Admissions Officers actively manage admissions. He also faulted the non-recognition of Registrars in requests for students’ data and cited their exclusion at the last JAMB Policy Meeting on Admissions.
According to him, Registrars, as heads of administration, custodians of students’ records and signatories to admission letters, deserve a more prominent role in admissions management and CAPS operations.
In his response, Prof. Oloyede acknowledged the concerns and explained that historically, university Registrars were not involved in admissions matters, which were handled mainly by Vice-Chancellors. He said the current system recognises only Vice-Chancellors, Admissions Officers and JAMB Desk Officers in the admissions chain, but noted the need for Registrars to understand how admissions flow within their institutions.
He disclosed that Registrars have been provided a channel to make inputs through CAPS mail and revealed that JAMB had earlier scheduled training sessions for Registrars across the six geopolitical zones—an opportunity he said had not been utilised by any Registrar.
Prof. Oloyede maintained that he would not act against the interest of fellow Registrars, adding that their inclusion as viewing partners on CAPS was deliberate to ensure transparency. He also apologised for their non-recognition at the last policy meeting, describing it as an oversight.
On ARNU’s invitation to its 2025 Annual Retreat scheduled for December 10, Prof. Oloyede said the notice came too late but promised stronger engagement with the association in the future.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.
